Ore no Hitsuzen
by Nokturnal Augury
Summary: There are people who snap constantly. There are people who never lose control. And there are people...who just need a little nudge! After the mistake has been made, which road will they take? DoumekiXWatanuki FINALLY FINISHED! phew.
1. A normal day in a not so normal life

Ok! This is officially my first xxxHolic fic - please take it easy on me :) but don't lie. If something sucks, tell me. Just, er...do it...nicely? I'm trying to make them as non-ooc as possible, but I just got into the show a couple of weeks ago. I'm still watching the anime and I'm going to start buying the manga next paycheck!

Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me - they're CLAMP's territory, which I only get to borrow and play with for a little :D

----------------------CHAPTER ONE--------------------------

Watanuki gently inserted the last piece of homemade sushi into the bento, glaring at the food with an unexplainable hatred. _That damn Doumeki...ordering me around like that... What does he think I am? His maid!_ His thoughts never stopped assaulting the non-present Doumeki as he packed the lunchboxes and stomped over to his room in order to retrieve his school briefcase. _And thanks to his ridiculous food orders, I'm going to be late for class!_

With that thought in his mind, he scanned his 1DK apartment one last time in search of something that he may have forgotten. When he had thoroughly assured himself that his bad mood, which was all Doumeki's fault, hadn't led for him to forget anything, he locked the door to his home and began to make his way to school.

The beginning of his walk there was quiet and for the first time all morning long he allowed himself to relax, trusting his feet as to which way he was headed. He'd been really stressed out the past few days, and as much as he hated to admit it, it wasn't all Doumeki's fault. Yuuko-san was on a roll, sending him off on one insane mission after the other, most of which that arrogant archer rival of his tagged along for. The spirits seemed to have remembered about him during that time. Right when Watanuki thought that he'd finally be given a break, the number of demons hunting him and trying to eat him had dangerously multiplied - in an alarmingly fast rate as well.

_Speaking of demons...why...THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING..._

"Stop following meee," he growled, slowly beginning to pick up his pace, though refusing to glance over his shoulder. He didn't need to look to know what was there. He didn't need to look to know what it wanted. "Stupid... Stupid... Morning..." His feet hit the ground faster and faster and a breeze began to whip his bangs against his forehead. Would he ever be given a break? "Let...me...goooOOOOO!"

Before he even knew what he was doing he had broken into a sprint, forcing himself to speed up even when his legs began to throb with pain. He could see the school gates - they weren't too far...

"Do I really look that TASTY!" he screamed at nobody in particular, since he knew that even if he asked the spirits, they wouldn't give him an answer. "Almost there! Almost, almost, almost, almost-" He sensed the spirits on his heel and practically felt their breath on the back of his neck. It gave him goosebumps that they had managed to get this close in such a short matter of time and as a chill of fear shot through his body, he ran even faster. "ALMOST THERE ALMOST THERE ALMOST THERE-"

"Oi," Doumeki greeted emotionlessly from the school gates as Watanuki zoomed by, seeming to be screaming at nothing in particular.

"DONT YOU 'OI' ME!" he roared as he continued to run. He didn't even care where the spirits were - he wasn't going to stop running until his feet fell off of his body!

Doumeki stared at the corner that Watanuki had disappeared around for a few minutes in silence. "Hn."

--

Watanuki could only groan in agony as he collapsed against the water fountain. His fingers fumbled with the switch, but his furious shaking wouldn't allow him a drink. After only a few seconds of painful struggle, his legs gave way as well and he slid down the metal source of refreshment and onto the cold, hard ground.

"Did they really...have to follow me...all around...the school...?" he panted, trying to remember the last time something like that had happened. Were the spirits being a lot more persistent, or was it just his imagination? And that Doumeki, that STUPID, STUPID Doumeki! Why was he waiting at the gate like that? Was he expecting something of the sort to happen?_ As if I'd go running to his side for protection,_ he spat inwardly, glaring at the cement floor underneath his face as he continued his struggle to breathe.

He let himself lie there for a few minutes, calming his heart down while enjoying the cold feel of the ground against his hot, sweaty skin. What a pity...he'd just washed his uniform the day before too. Now it was all dirty again... He'd have to stop by his house to change before going to Yuuko's for work that afternoon.

"Oi."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he roared, abruptly pushing himself off the ground to glare at Doumeki. "Why don't you just go back to that stupid gate of yours and **stare at the clouds a little longer!"**

"You're too noisy," the archer informed him as he unplugged his ears and continued to stare at him stoically.

"_**And why should I care what you think of me!"**_ he continued to holler, waving his arms around him furiously. Doumeki just plugged his ears once more and waited for the fit of fury to come to an end. After a few deep, soothing breaths, Watanuki asked as calmly as he could, "Why are you following me anyway?"

"Nothing."

"No-Noth..?" His brows creased into a frown once more and he stood straight, stomping one foot on the ground. "Well then why don't you just GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE? Is it not enough that I have to put up with you every time Yuuko-san sends us on a mission? **Do I have to tolerate you all day at school too!**"

Only pulling his fingers out of his ears when he was sure that it was safe (at least for the time being), Doumeki continued to stare at Watanuki is silence. With a growl and a few last insults muttered just barely loud enough to be heard, Watanuki turned his attention to the water fountain - which he could now use! - and took a long, refreshing drink.

"Your uniform is dirty," Doumeki informed him helpfully as he turned around and began to walk away. Watanuki sputtered, almost chocking on the water before he turned around to shout curses and threats after Doumeki's departing form.

It seemed like no matter what happened on the outside world, his life in school never changed. He looked down at his uniform and scowled. As annoying as the jerk was, he was right. His normally black school uniform was now practically gray with dust. He decided to stop by the bathroom and wipe as much of it away as he could before his first class…which he wasn't going to be late to after all.

-----------OWARI-----------

It's a little hard for me to control Watanuki-kun. I've never had such a spazzy character before, and I'm still getting used to it. Please forgive me if I didn't make him look as out-of-control as they do in the anime, because I'm still a little cautious...since I have no idea what he's like in the manga. You didn't have a lot of Doumeki in here, but you will in the coming chapters- I hope I don't screw him up.

The first few chapters, I'm afraid to admit, are going to be BORING. I'm going to do simple, expected things, like maybe send them on a silly mission or just have them eating lunch, in order for me to warm myself up to seeing things through their prospectives. This story IS going to have a yaoi twist to it - I just don't want Watanuki to -gasp- all of a sudden stop liking Himawari-chan. I want to take things nice and slow - which although boring will hopefully save me the disappointment of a big boo-boo. I've been wanting to continue my other fanfic too, BLBF, so I'll see how much I'll update each of these. So far this story is the one I'm inspired with - the other is...dying -cries-

Please comment and let me know if you liked it or if I already made that boo-boo I'm trying to hide from underneath my bed-covers. Domo ari!

-Kitou.Shinri-


	2. Bottled

And here's the second installment! It's just as plain, I'm afraid to say. There's more Doumeki and little bit of Hiwamari (very little) and you get to see Yuuko at the end of the chapter. The comment she makes is my little flag as to what's to happen next, yay!

**Disclaimer: CLAMP owns xxxHOLiC, not loser little me that makes believe she does**

-------------CHAPTER TWO-----------------

"Why…?" Watanuki growled as he kept his eyes shut, his fists clenched and his scowl indisputable. "**Why do I have to put up with you during lunch too?**" he roared in Doumeki's ear, which the archer was prompt to plug his finger into. "Why do you have to be everywhere I am!" Doumeki ignored him, using his free hand to pick up his chopsticks and get a head start on the bento that the screaming seer had made for him. "Hey! Don't ignore me!"

"Doumeki-kun! Watanuki-kun!" Himawari Kunogi greeted as she jogged up to where they were waiting for her. She took a seat in the space available next to Watanuki and he beamed at her, forgetting all about his feasting rival. After all, Himawari had chosen to sit next to _him_ today!

"Himawari-chan!" he laughed, giving the happy-go-lucky girl his dreamiest of looks.

"Oh! That looks so pretty!" she commented, motioning towards Watanuki's open bento with a nod of her slender face.

"REALLY? Do you really think so, Himawari-chaaaan?" he asked, his voice practically alive with excitement. Himawari smiled and nodded, causing Watanuki's face to redden as he sighed in delight. While his eyes were pinned on the smaller girl, dreamily taking her in as he lost himself to whatever thoughts were going on in his head, Doumeki reached over and used his chopsticks to snatch a fried shrimp from his meal. He then proceeded to stick it into his mouth without a second's thought. He chewed slowly, his face blank, as it always was.

"Tasty," he commented once he had swallowed.

"Isn't it?" Watanuki proudly responded, turning to beam at Doumeki, before catching himself and blinking in surprise. "Eh?" He looked from Doumeki to the empty spot where a shrimp was missing from his bento and back to Doumeki. "…DID YOU JUST EAT MY FOOD, YOU SUBSTANDARD, THIEVING JERK?" he roared, shaking his angry chopstick-bearing fists in front of Doumeki's face. The taller boy plugged the ear closest to the furious teen, but otherwise remained absolutely calm. "Isn't it enough that I have to cook for you every day that you have to steal the food from **my** bento?"

"But there's no shrimp in my bento."

"You wanted sushi so I gave you sushi! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT!" The shouting and flailing of arms stopped when Himawari started to laugh, the gentle sound seeming to douse the anger in Watanuki as water would a flame.

"You are such close friends, Watanuki-kun," she giggled, the laughter bringing a gentle flush to her cheeks.

"No, Himawari-chan!" Watanuki laughed. "What are you talking about? Me and that idiot Doumeki-" he gave up trying to explain, halting his speech to sigh and wonder at how adorable his crush looked. Doumeki ignored them both, taking another shrimp from Watanuki's lunchbox. "He-HEY! DOUMEKI, YOU IDIOT!" came the expected roar of fury as Watanuki grabbed the archer from the front of his shirt and shook him angrily. "**Don't take my food!**" He tried to steal his shrimp back, but Doumeki beat him to it by sticking the tasty snack into his mouth and proceeding to chew. "HEY! DON'T EAT THAT! GIVE IT BACK GIVE IT BACK!" After another couple of violent shakes, which Doumeki ignored entirely, he shoved the taller boy back and just glared at him.

"Tasty," Doumeki commented once more, not even bothering to wait until the screaming had started before setting his chopsticks down and plugging his ears once more. The action seemed to irritate Watanuki even further, because instead of screaming at him (which had been his intent) he scowled and snatched his own chopsticks from his lap, swiftly filching one of Doumeki's sushi and stuffing it into his mouth.

"Oi," Doumeki protested with the calmest voice Watanuki had ever heard someone use while protesting. "That's my sushi.'"

"And that's the pot calling the kettle black," Watanuki growled before he started eating his own food, making the shrimp his first target and trying to finish them off before Doumeki decided to steal another.

"But there's sushi in your bento."

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW?" he snapped once more. "**I MADE IT!**"

This time the shouting was too loud for either of them to hear Himawari laugh.

That was what Watanuki's relationship with Doumeki was like. The spastic seer would yell at Doumeki every chance he got, while in turn Doumeki either ignored him or dismissed everything with an impassive "hn" or other one-word comment. He'd also ignore how obsessively Watanuki fawned over Himawari, as obviously pointless as the crush might have been. With that great space between the feelings, the two high-school boys completed one mission after another. With that great space between them, they continued to move forward.

"**You can stop following me now!**" Watanuki hollered at Doumeki as he headed towards the entrance to Yuuko's shop. "I don't need you by my side in order to make it here, you know!"

"Oi."

"**What!**" Doumeki just stared at him for a second, his face the same stoic mask that everybody knew him for.

"I want fried shrimp too tomorrow. Don't forget."

"Why you-!" Watanuki stomped his foot on the ground, glaring at Doumeki's back as the taller boy began walking away. "I don't take orders, you idiot! I shouldn't be making you an obento in the first place! Are you really good for nothing but standing there! Even ghosts don't want to be around you! Grr… STUPID DOUMEKI!" He was still muttering curses to himself when he entered the shop and began changing his shoes.

"Oo, Watanuki is angry!" Mokona piped in from behind him.

"Angry! Angry!" Maru and Moro chorused, their eyes never leaving Watanuki as he stormed past them and into Yuuko's room.

"You're early today, Watanuki!" Yuuko greeted him from her post on her comfortable couch, smoking-pipe in one hand, sake in the other. She smirked as he approached her, and decided to give prying a try. "Was there someone you were trying to get away from, perhaps?"

"That moron, Doumeki," he exclaimed, starting to make his way to the kitchen. "What about it?"

"Don't you think you were a little cruel at him, at the gates?"

As much as he hated to admit it, Yuuko was right. For some reason, that entire day had been a lot more irritating than normal. He was getting angry a lot easier now lately… Not to mention that he would have chosen –and did choose!- being chased by spirits to being walked back by Doumeki, but unfortunately the latter hadn't given him a choice in the matter. "It's not my fault he's an idiot. I don't need him as much as he'd like to think I do – and I didn't need him to walk me here! You do that to girls! And how did you know?"

"I could hear your screaming from here," she laughed in response. "You really seem to be a lot angrier around him now lately."

"Like I said, that's because he's an idiot!"

Yuuko didn't bother trying to take the matter further, as the boy was already out of sight. Instead, she smiled and took another puff from her pipe.

"A stoic, impassive Doumeki against a thoroughly expressive Watanuki…" she muttered to herself, trailing a thumb over the top of her elegant pipe as she contemplated. It was only natural that those two opposites being together would create some sort of explosion. On Watanuki's side, the explosion took the form of words and angry motion; he'd yell, he'd insult, he'd flail his arms, stomp on the ground and shake his rival furiously. On Doumeki's side… Well, perhaps the explosion had yet to happen. "Yet, indeed," she chuckled, tipping the rest of the wine back in one swift movement. "But the longer it takes, the greater the explosion will be…"

--------------------OWARI!---------------------- 

That's it! Please review and let me know what you thought of it. I'll try to have chapter three up soon, but I'm still nervous about how far I'll take it. Something will change, that's for sure, but I think I'm going to leave the big BOOM for chapter 4... Otey! Off I go 

-Kitou.Shinri-


	3. Barrier

Chapter three is here! Another note I wanted to make: you'll notice that although I refrain from using Japanese words out of respect to those out there that don't understand those words, I've kept the endings -kun, -san etc. That's because they can't really be translated as well in English and I want to keep the feel of the manga/anime. Please forgive.

------------CHAPTER THREE: Barrier-------------

"So this is the building…" Watanuki muttered to himself, trying to ignore the tightening in his stomach as he stood in front of the building that Yuuko had sent them to find. "It sure _feels_ haunted…"

"Why would we be here if it wasn't?" Doumeki questioned sarcastically, snapping Watanuki's attention away from the building and centering it on himself.

"And may you please remind me once more - _why are you here?_"

"Because you came to my house begging for me to help you," he replied simply.

"I DID NOT BEG!" the shorter boy roared, waving his fists around furiously. "I didn't even _want_ your help. Yuuko made me, she _made me!_"

"Only idiots ask questions that they already know the answer to."

"Don't call me an idiot!"

"Be quiet-"

"Watanuki-kun? Doumeki-kun?" a soft voice interjected, halting their argument before it had escaladed to a whole different level of noise. Both boys turned around in surprise, seeking out the newcomer.

Standing in front of them at the entrance of the building was an elderly lady dressed in expensive clothing. She was taller than any lady in her 80s that either Watanuki or Doumeki had ever seen, with silver-gray hair that was cropped short and eyes that appeared to be gold.

"U-Um… Kodai-san?" Watanuki asked politely, taking a small step towards the elderly lady. Kodai-san smiled at the two of them and nodded happily.

"I'm so glad you could make it… Please follow me. I will take you to the room." Without further ado, she turned around and walked into her house. Watanuki and Doumeki shared a swift glance before following her inside.

The living room they found themselves in was huge, to say the least. There were couches lined up against the walls, and plants and statues placed symmetrically in the center. It was a weird room, but managed to look nice…somehow.

They then followed her up the winding stairs at the very end of the room, and into a long hallway lined with shut doors. Doumeki turned to Watanuki, who pointed at the door at the very end.

"It's coming from there."

"Yes, that is the room," the lady confirmed, her smile sad. "My daughter died in there just a few months ago and I'm afraid her spirit refuses to leave… It worries me that she remains here instead of moving on." Her eyes traveled to the distant door and she gazed at it longingly. "I can't even see her, but I know she's there…"

"Don't worry about it, Kodai-san. We'll take care of her for you," Watanuki promised, however reluctantly, as he took his first step forward.

The change in the atmosphere was unbelievable. It felt as if the very air had thickened and his legs gotten heavier. There was something in that room alright, and it didn't want them in.

"I shall be waiting for you downstairs, then," Kodai-san sighed, shooting one last loving look down the hallway before returning to the first floor and leaving them alone. Watanuki took another step and gasped, drawing one of his arms to his chest before experimentally extending it forward once, twice, and then pulling it back again.

"What is it?" Doumeki asked, staring at him with his usual blank expression.

"It feels like there's a barrier…or like something is trying to push me away. You try moving forward." Doumeki didn't even give him a weird look before taking a couple of steps forward himself. He walked up to Watanuki and then past him, his steps slowing down and stopping when he was just about five feet from the young seer. "Don't you feel it?" Doumeki turned around and nodded once.

"I feel it too. Here." He extended one hand towards Watanuki, who glared at it.

"_I'm not taking your hand!_ I don't need your help to walk!"

"The barrier might be affecting both of us, but it's centering in on you. It's easier for me to walk. Take my hand."

"No!" Doumeki said nothing, gazing at Watanuki unflinchingly until the latter sighed in irritation and took his hand. "Stupid Doumeki-AH! What are you trying to do you idiot, _yank my arm off_?" Doumeki once more said nothing, taking another couple of steps forward and pulling Watanuki behind him.

Watanuki soon realized that it would have been impossible for him to make it to the door on his own. They were only halfway there and it already felt as if he was pushing himself through something thick and very solid. At three fourths of the way, their progress severely decelerated. The muscles in Doumeki's arm were tightening as he pulled, balancing himself on the wall with his other hand. Watanuki did his best on his part by pushing forward with his feet as hard as he could. He couldn't help but wonder for a second if he would get _stuck_ by the time they reached the door - when his hand began to slip out of Doumeki's.

"Watanuki!" Doumeki barked, just as their hands came apart and Watanuki began to stumble backwards. Something was _pushing _him- "Watanuki!" he growled once more, taking a leap back and snatching his hand once more. Both of them buried their feet in the ground, fighting to stop the backwards movement. Without even noticing, Watanuki grasped at Doumeki's hand with both of his, seeking the stability that only the archer could provide him with. "Push with your feet, you moron!"

"Don't call me that - _and I am trying my very best here!_" They began to advance once more, but this time slower than ever. Doumeki used both his hand to grip Watanuki's tightly, frowning at his feet as he tried desperately to take step backwards. He managed that step, and another, and yet another, refusing to give up until they had reached the door.

"Latch onto my arm - I have to open the door," he commanded. Watanuki was struggling too hard to even bother trying to glare at him and just did as he was told, holding onto the archer's arm with both of his hands, trying to wrap his arms around it to avoid being blasted back by a force neither of them could see. A soft click declared that the door had been opened and he watched as Doumeki used the doorframe to pull them both inside.

A wave of surprise and confusion shook them as they were both flung _into_ the room to land on each other, panting and aching all over from the strain it took them to get there.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Watanuki roared as soon as he had caught his breath, kicking a leg at Doumeki who had landed half-on him and half-off. Doumeki said nothing as he stood up, absentmindedly rubbing his arms with the palms of his hands, as if massaging away a pain that did not show in his face.

"Hurry and stand up so you can tell me what you see, idiot," he commanded simply, earning a strong glare from Watanuki - who pushed himself up nonetheless.

"I told you _not to call me an-_"

"You made it through the barrier," a voice cut in. Both of them gasped and spun around to stare at the girl. Had she been there all along? She looked just a little younger than the two of them, dressed in pajamas with her long hair held back. Watanuki was expecting her too look angry, but instead she looked…sad. "I'm impressed."

"You put that thing up?" Doumeki asked calmly.

"You can see her?" Watanuki gasped, staring at Doumeki in shock.

"I did not put it up," the girl replied simply. "It was put up to keep me in here."

---------------OWARI!-------------------

I wanted them to finish the mission on this chapter, but it was already three pages in word and I dont want to make it too long :) not to mention I have to leave and I wanted this chapter up NOW. Please review, I'll try to catch up by squeezing in the end of the mission and the big surprise in chapter four.

Thanks to my reviewers so far, you guys are wonderful and I love you!

-Kitou.Shinri-

ps. Have you noticed how the title to this chappie is Barrier? Yea that makes this my special chapter because 'Seki' means barrier and Seki Toshihiko has the hottest voice in the world -rants on and on- KUDOS TO SEKI-DONO! Everybody has to listen to "On The Line" by him and Kikuchi Masami! Ok I'm done now.


	4. Of Spirits and Monsters

First and foremost, let me apologize for delaying the juicy chapter so much. (bow) It's not here yet. The thing is, I'm trying to keep my chapters SHORT. I love long chapters! I've always written long, long chapters, but I understand that a lot of readers out there don't have the time or patience to be reading something 6, 10, 15 or 22 pages long, so I'm trying to keep it between 2 and 3. (more than two pages. Less that four.) To make up for the delayed goodiness, I'm going to be posting a lot more often. This is the second chappie posted today. I won't be writing another one today because I have a very important assignment due in English tomorrow. Sowwy :( just read this for now.

_"I did not put it up," the girl replied simply. "It was put up to keep me in here."_

--------------------------CHAPTER FOUR------------------------------

"Keep you…?" the two boys stared at the girl in confusion, all of their previous assumptions having been tossed to the winds. So she wasn't the one? Then…who?

"Yes."

"…So, you're alive?" Even Doumeki turned to stare at Watanuki after that comment. "But she has to be!" he tried to explain. "You can see her!"

"Have you ever seen a see-through living person?" Doumeki asked, sounding almost fearful. Watanuki blinked in surprise, turning to gaze at the girl again.

"She's not see-through."

"Everybody can see me in this state," the girl explained. "My spirit has enough power to do that. You however," she told Watanuki, "see me a lot clearer due to some power that you have… I don't know what it is, but I can practically smell it coming off of you."

"S-Smell...?"

"So this is why the spirits try to eat you," Doumeki reasoned with a nod.

"SHUT UP DOUMEKI!"

"What's your name?"

"Sabi."

"Sabi?" Watanuki repeated, looking around the room nervously. It was a decently sized room, although rather gloomy. There was a bed on one end with a little table next to it. On the other side of the room he could see a sofa and an old television. The walls were laden with a collection of antique weapons on hooks. There was one window, but the curtains had been drawn. "So, who put the barrier up and why?"

"I already told you, it was put up to keep me from leaving," she sighed irritable, turning her back on them and taking a step away. "And it was placed there by my father."

"Your…father?"

"Yes. See, our family has always had a very strong blood trait…well, my family on my mom's side. We have the ability to control spirits."

"You mean like possession?" Doumeki asked, completely ignoring the gaping Watanuki.

"No, we call it the Spirit's Voice. By using a certain tone of voice, we can bit spirits to do as we wish. It's compulsion, really… It appears every two generations. My grandmother had it, but my mother did not."

"But why would that make your father lock you up here?" Watanuki voiced, his eyes darting around the room once more.

"He wanted the power for himself…he still does." She took a moment to sigh before turning to them again, frowning sadly. "He tried stealing Grandmother's power decades ago, but failed when she died in an accident…so he married my mother instead, hoping that a daughter would be born with the same trait. The power, however, doesn't show itself until puberty, and I only just discovered mine about a year before my death. Ever since then, dad had been training me, strengthening it in order for him to eventually steal it…

"I didn't know back then, of course. I only found out after I died that he had put a curse on my body that caused for my body to gradually fall apart. He had already placed a barrier around this very room so that after I died my soul would be trapped here and he could perform the spell to absorb it."

"He wants to absorb your soul?" Watanuki gasped with disgust.

"Be careful," Doumeki warned him. "If you repeat the obvious too many times, you go stupid."

"I SAID SHUT UP, DOUMEKI!"

"You're right. You're stupid already." Watanuki opened his mouth to shout something back but forced himself to shut it again, stomping on the ground hard once, twice, and taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"Sabi. Seeing just how old your mother is, you must have died years ago. How come your spirit hasn't been claimed by your father yet? And where is he? We didn't see him when we came."

"My mother married my father in her forties and had me only a year later. I died at the age of 16, which is how you view me now. I died less than a year ago."

"What!"

"My mother was always the kind to worry, so her body aged fast when in reality she isn't even in her 60s yet."

"And your father?" Doumeki urged.

"He's… He's here."

"HERE?" Watanuki exclaimed, his eyes shooting around once more. He _knew _he felt something!

"He's trapped in the barrier. When I died there was a young spirit trapped in here with me. It told me everything it knew and gave me it's energy, which is why I am so in-focus even to him," she said, nodding towards Doumeki. "The first time he tried walking past the barrier to come for me, I put up a spell of my own, strengthening it against humans as well as spirits and making it so that it would absorb anybody that would try to go through it."

"But…it didn't do that to us," Watanuki argued, still searching the room distrustfully.

"That's because after father got trapped in it, his body was destroyed and his spirit was let loose. He has a very hateful spirit, that man… It filled the barrier right up so that now it repels instead of drawing in. As long as I don't go near that barrier, my father can't reach me…but I am also stuck here forever unless he…"

"Unless he is destroyed," Doumeki concluded, waiting for Sabi's nod before he turned around and headed to the door once more.

"DOUMEKI! Where do you think you're going?"

"We have to destroy the spirit to let her out. So let's go find him."

"_Find_ him! And how are you planning on doing that? And stop looking at me as if you think I'm the dumbest person on earth! And don't you dare say you really do think I am either." Doumeki sighed and before answering the initial question.

"You attract spirits to you. On our way in, you were holding onto me, so maybe that's why he couldn't touch you."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Let's say we DO get him to come after me. Then what? Are you just going to sit down and chant sutras hoping he will die before I get eaten?" Doumeki pointed at one of the weapons on the wall. A bow. "…Oh."

Doumeki took the weapon down as Watanuki walked to the door, gazing out of it uncertainly. He sure couldn't _see_ the barrier…but of course, he knew from experience that it was _very_ there.

"Get moving already."

"But..! What if I just get thrown out?"

"Then he'll be after you," Sabi and Doumeki chorused, just as the tall archer gave him a nudge in the back, pushing him out of the room…and into the clutches of the unknown.

--------------------------OWARI!------------------------

Otey, that's it for today. I'll try to have another up tomorrow, maybe two...I'll definitely catch up! Yakusoku.

-k.s-


	5. Lies

I lied. I wrote something in Doumeki's POV. I'm sorry…it just fit into the moment - I had to write from his side for that specific scene. I don't like doing it because of how complicated a character he is, and if I screw up, please tell me and try to forgive me ;-;

-------------------CHAPTER FOUR - _Lies_---------------------------

Watanuki didn't have any time to think after Doumeki pushed him through the door; he could only feel. The creepy feeling that he had had in the room was nothing compared to this. The wall that had previously tried to push him away had now literally wrapped itself around him, restraining him, suffocating him… He tried to gasp, to make a sound, to curse at Doumeki for placing him in that situation, but his throat had been sealed shut by arms that he could not see. His own arms shot to his throat, and he tried removing the hands that kept him from breathing, but there was nothing there and he succeeded only in scratching his own skin, leaving long red lines down his neck.

The weight on his back doubled, tripped, and he soon found himself crashing down onto his knees. His chest was starting to sting from the lack of oxygen, and his eyes were watering as he panicked about what to do. The air had become so _thick_ that he doubted he could breathe even if the spirit let him go.

_He's not a spirit… He's a monster… He's not alive, but he isn't dead either…_

What was Doumeki doing? Why wasn't he shooting? Was the door even open? He could hear nothing, as if the air around him had gone soundproof - nothing coming in, nothing going out…

He smashed one fist onto the ground in an attempt to keep himself from being flattened, his other hand still fumbling with the force around his neck. He needed to breathe… He needed air… He needed…

He blinked hard, forcing the tears out of his eyes so he could clear his vision before attempting to look over his shoulder in search of Doumeki. He'd better be there. That useless, idiotic moron had _better_ be there-

It took a lot of effort, but his head finally turned around. At the sight of Doumeki, his heart practically stopped. He was there, but the bow was no longer in his hands. It was lying on the ground in front of him as he struggled to fight Sabi off. As hard as he tried, Watanuki couldn't find a reasonable explanation as to why the girl's hands were wrapped around Doumeki's own throat. He couldn't understand why she was laughing.

----------------------------------Rare Doumeki's POV scene-------------------------------------

Doumeki mentally plugged his ears against the harsh, shrieking sound of Sabi's maniacal laughter. He couldn't explain it, but for some reason he was on his back on the ground and his throat was being wrung by what could be nothing else but her _hands_. Something was wrong with the story she had given them.

The plan was to use Watanuki to draw out the father so that Doumeki could exorcise it. He refused to let things go wrong.

He didn't even bother shouting at her as he gripped her arms and tore them from his windpipe, trying to push her off of him at the same time. She was stronger than she looked - and a lot _heavier_ too.

"Give up, priest boy!" she growled at him, her eyes wild as she lowered her head to one of her arms and bit into Doumeki's left hand. He gasped softly, swallowing down a cry he refused to let out. He freed her left hand, watching in satisfaction as she used it to try and pry her other hand away from him. He grabbed the opportunity given to him to bury his fist into her stomach, kicking her off of him as she went stiff with the surprise of the attack. She fell off of him, but her teeth remained lodged in his fist - just as he had planned.

She was the one on the bottom now, and he was using the advantage of having his good hand free to wrestle her immobile, using one of his knees to confine her legs and save himself from the fate of being kicked in the most uncomfortable of places. He knew he was glaring at her as she released his bleeding left hand and shrieked at him, his ears ringing painfully.

"Shut up," he growled. "Who are you?" She laughed at the question, trying once more to wriggle herself free. He didn't have the bow. He didn't know what to do with her. He'd have to tie her up-

Whatever plan he had been putting together was blown to the winds as he turned around to catch sight of Watanuki. The smaller boy was out in the hallway, doubled over on the ground, his left hand grazing dangerously at his own throat. He was turning red from what had to be lack of oxygen, and there were rivulets of tears running down his cheeks as he gasped, once, softly. Their eyes locked for just a second, but it was more than enough to cause something within Doumeki to snap. At the same time that Watanuki's eyes rolled and he collapsed onto the ground, Doumeki pushed himself off of Sabi and stood up.

Was it anger that blazed inside of him? Was it worry? He didn't know and quite frankly, he didn't care. His plan _had_ been ruined and somebody was going to have to pay the price.

He took a step towards the bow only to feel Sabi jumping onto his back, her hands searching for his throat once more. _But not this time_, he thought to himself as he gripped one of her arms tightly and flung her over his shoulder. She crashed into the ground heavily, but he ignored her scream as he placed one foot on her chest, keeping her there. He picked up the bow and did as Yuuko had once instructed him.

_Aim… Concentrate… Shoot…_ It was the barrier itself that attacked Doumeki. There was no father. It was the girl.

The golden arrow shot forward just as he had expected, piercing through what should have been air, but wasn't. A loud shriek pierced through the entire building as the force field exploded, shooting outwards and disappearing forever. He felt it disappear just as he felt Sabi disappear, but he forced himself to ignore it and drop the bow once more, this time to run to Watanuki's side.

Explanations could wait.

--------------------------OWARI!-------------------------------

The end! I hope it was ok. I have math tutoring to go to now, but I'll try to write more later :) Either between classes, or after 3 when I get out. Please review and let me know what you thought of this! I know it was a little confusing, but everything will be explained in the next chapter when Watanuki wakes up.

And I love my reviewers, by the way. Evilfrogger86 I love you! -sends cookies-


	6. Wake Up

Okay! First things first; an apology. To all anonymous readers that could not review because of the settings of my account, I am so sorry. I honestly did not know that setting was on, but thanks to Serenetwinkle I both noticed and took care of it. Please feel free to review now :D!

Another note that came to my mind after reading (and replying) to Serenetwinkle's review. The name calling; the words they use in Japanese, I must say, I am really fond of. The words I'm using here in English, I will say, I am NOT really fond of. 'Aho' sounds perfectly fitting of Watanuki, but for some reason the word 'fool' has such a different ring to it when spoken in English… So I just picked random other words. Not that I won't use 'fool' at all, just that I'm saving it for later. (and now that I made such a big deal of it, ALL of you will notice! Haha!) Also, this story is supposed to take place in the future - but not quite. I've only read up to volume 4 of the manga (although I've watched up to episode 20) and I just basically want you all to take that, and put a huge blank space between it and this story. I've heard rumors of eye-loss, but I haven't read it yet and don't want to mess it up, so both guys have both eyes! (Apart from Watanuki, who in some people's view has four. Haha, glasses joke. Don't be offended, I wear glasses too, and they're thick rimmed and emo and look so silly on my FACE)

Ok, that was totally rolling off my train of thought and getting splattered all over the train tracks. Let me compose my thoughts pwease!

(after a few moments of silence) So yes, this takes place after Watanuki and Doumeki have worked by each other's side for a while and tension has slowly started to build up. I'm not saying that either of them is "in love" with the other just yet, as they also both happen to be in denial at the time. However, the unconscious tension is there, which explains Watanuki's bursts of male PMS. (Go Watanukiii!) (Oh, and did anybody else know that the voice actor of Doumeki also voiced Wakka from Final Fantasy? I just found out today! I laughed so hard - I always loved that voice too. Um…sorry, random.)

Anyways, this note has gotten WAY too long, I'm sorry, please forgive (bow)(bow) and let me start on chappie 6!

**Disclaimer**: (I haven't done this in a while…) CLAMP owns everything apart from Sabi, whom I created, and her mother, whom I created, and the wine, which I doubt exists even in the world of HOLiC.

---------------------CHAPTER 6: _Hold onto me_----------------------

"Oi." What was that sound? Everything was quiet before that one syllable of sound pierced through the darkness. "Oi!" Watanuki felt cold, although when he tried to reach up and rub his hands against his arms, nothing happened. It was as if his body was gone and he no longer had arms or hands to rub against them… "Oi, Watanuki!" His name. Someone was calling his name. But who? "Open your eyes!" Eyes? But he didn't have eyes. He didn't have a body. He didn't have eyes, just like he didn't have arms.

"The poor darling… I wonder if he'll be okay…" Another voice. This one was further away and for some reason he couldn't really focus on what was being said. The cold was still there and Watanuki could practically feel the goosebumps climbing up his - but wait! He wasn't supposed to have arms…

"Watanuki, I said!" A sharp command filled with worry. He now felt strong hands on his arms, arms he had wanted to rub himself, but now somebody else was chasing the cold away. Movement… He could feel himself being shaken. He could… He could feel… Just as soon as he registered that, the shaking stopped, but the hands remained on him, their grip strong and pleasantly warm. Who was it? Who was it that was calling his name and chasing the cold away?

"He looks awfully pale…"

"Shit," the voice growled and the hands were taken away. _Don't go!_ he wanted to cry, but when he tried, no voice came out. Wait, they were back! This time on his forehead and neck, touching, feeling, making the goosebumps spread - but this time not because of the cold. They felt like little flames dancing on his skin, warming him… It felt so nice… "He's freezing."

"Oh my! I'll go get some warm water right away!" _Be quiet_, he sighed inwardly. That second voice was irritating, grating into his skull like something unwanted. He wanted to hear the other voice. He wanted to hear the voice of the owner of those hands…

"Watanuki, open your eyes," the voice now pleaded, a whispered call filled with worry and…sadness? The hands went away once more, but not after he felt one of them gently slide down his cheek. It felt nice.

"The darling is trembling…" Was he? Was he trembling? He didn't think he was. He almost cried out when he felt another hand touch his forehead, a cold palm that was nothing like the one from before. He wanted to swipe it away, to push that other person away from him, and felt very disappointed that he couldn't. "God! He's as cold as de-"

"_Don't say it!_" The pointed command got rid of the cold hand. That was good. He didn't like the feel of that hand. "He'll be fine."

Something warm and soft was placed on his forehead. It wasn't like before, it felt more like a towel than a hand, but it still felt good. The warmth slowly started to spread and by the time the towel was moved down to his neck he could feel the tips of his fingers.

"Watanuki…" the voice whispered, this time from less than an inch away from his ear. The proximity sent a chill down his spine, but he couldn't move to shrink away. It didn't feel _bad_…it just made him feel so _aware_… "I'm sorry I was late…" Watanuki was suddenly very aware of every part of his body. The skin of his neck as it soaked underneath the towel, his ear as the voice's breath tickled it gently, his eyelids as they trembled slightly against the stupor that refused to let him go. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner…" He tried flexing one of his hands and almost laughed when one of his fingers twitched. He could feel everything now; the only task that remained was to command it. "Please open your eyes…" The towel began to move once more, sliding down from his neck to his chest. Wha… What happened to his clothes?

With that thought in mind, moving his hands was no problem. In fact, both of his arms appeared to be perfectly functional when he gasped and pushed himself up. He gasped as he crashed into something solid, opening his eyes to take in the situation.

"Doumeki!" he breathed in shock as the taller boy wiped all expression from his face and pulled himself away with a sigh. Watanuki looked down - still worried about the clothes - to find himself shirtless. His pants were on, but his shirt was gone nonetheless. "What..?"

"You took your sweet time," Doumeki commented dully as he tossed the towel into the bucket of water and pushed himself off the couch. "Your shirt is on that chair. Hurry up and put it on so we can receive the payment and return to Yuuko's."

"B-B-But, why- what- W-Where?"

Doumeki exited the room in a few long strides, slamming the door behind him just a little louder than normal.

"Did he wake up?" a voice asked from the outside, but he didn't hear the answer as he gaped at the door, shocked by Doumeki's behavior. What was wrong with that guy? Watanuki was the one that was shirtless! _He_ was the one with the right to be mad!

What had Doumeki been saying anyway? He remembered clearly that he had been saying something…_something_… He looked down at the water bowl, surprised that even that was there. What had happened? Where was he?

After another swift look around, his earlier memories returned. They were on one of Yuuko's missions… The girl had told them her story, but it had obviously all been a lie, otherwise she wouldn't have attacked Doumeki. He remembered being chocked to unconsciousness as he watched Doumeki wrestle her down, and then a soft whisper in his ear before everything went black.

_Your body_, it had said. _Give it to me!_

Shaking off the memory and the blurriness that followed it, he carefully stood and went to where Doumeki had said his shirt was. After putting it on, he let one of his hands linger on his neck, for some reason under the illusion that he had felt something there…but the more he tried concentrating on the lost memory, the more confused he became, so in the end he just shrugged it all off and walked out of the room in search of his unpredictable partner.

"Watanuki-kun," the elderly lady from before greeted him with the saddest of smiles. "Thank you so much for what you did and you have my sincerest apologies for what happened to you. We were really worried-"

"Wh-… What happened?" he managed to mumble softly, running one hand across his forehead. All of a sudden he had such a _migraine_-

"You passed out," the lady explained.

"Sabi lied," Doumeki continued. "Her father died two years after she was born. Her death was her own doing."

"Huh?"

"Our family has a very powerful trait," the mother explained with a sigh. "She was true in telling you what it was, but she failed to inform you that by abusing that power, by using it too much and for reasons too selfish, your body becomes weak and begins to fall apart. She never listened to me when I warned her about it and she died for that very reason. She wore her body out. Sabi did not, however, _want _to die…"

"So she placed that barrier there to steal someone's body," Doumeki concluded. "She couldn't do it to me because I repelled the spirit that she had commanded to form the barrier. She had been controlling it the entire time we were there. She wanted you dead so she could live again."

Watanuki blinked, giving himself a moment to take it all in. "She…what?"

"You idiot," Doumeki sighed, running a palm down his face.

"Oh, the darling still can't concentrate very well, it's ok. He only just woke up anyways. Please, Watanuki-kun, Doumeki-kun, take this as payment for your services, and please be sure to give Yuuko-san my sincere thanks as well."

"Wait, wait-"

"Thank you," Doumeki cut in, accepting the offered bottle of what _looked_ like wine, and turning towards the door. "Watanuki, hurry up. We've been here for four hours already."

"Four?"

"It's dark." Doumeki was the first to walk out. Watanuki somehow remembered to bow before he followed him.

"I apologize once more, Watanuki-kun! Please take care of yourself."

"N-No problem, HEY! Doumeki! Where are you going-HEY!"

-------------------------------OWARI!---------------------------

Whoops, once more it got too long and I had to stop. :) I'll write the next chapter soon though. You should know that by now.

I wanted to say something else… Hm… Oh, I'm sorry if this chapter kinda sucked, I'm just freezing, I can't really feel my hands (the downside to air conditioning) and my migraine is taking away all of my concentration… I'm sorry. That's why I gave Watanuki a migraine too. I know that it's a little fuzzy towards the end, but that's because Watanuki still feels a little disoriented after he woke up… I'll make sure to make it clear next chapter. Or at least I'll try-

Comments and critz appreciated. I must sit on my hands to warm them up now. Goodbye.

.k.s.


	7. Payment

Aren't I so punctual? A chapter every morning - a chapter every afternoon… Monday through Thursday, that is… Well, the chain is about to be broken. -cries- I have a Composition test tomorrow (and a descriptive assignment due!) and a Calculus 3 exam on Tuesday, and I want to ace the suckers, so I'm not going to write this afternoon (I'm going to do my Comp. assignment instead) and I might not post tomorrow morning either because I'll be completing that study test for Calculus and studying with the student instructor for two hours ahead of the class. I probably will try and write again tomorrow afternoon, so there will be an update today and tomorrow, hopefully, but no promises. It all depends on how much studying gets done. I'm paying for the classes, so the grades are important.

**Disclaimer: I own the wine. MUAHAHAHA- …everything else is CLAMP's, although naturally if you're reading this you know that xxxHOLiC doesn't belong to a silly little yaoi fangirl with no life and poor writing skills :D doncha?**

----------------------CHAPTER 7: _Payment_---------------------------

"You're late," Yuuko started complaining the very moment that Watanuki entered the shop. "I knew what you guys were going to be doing, but I never expected you to take _that_ long! I'm hungry, Watanukiiii! I haven't eaten since you left!"

"But _obviously_ you've been drinking," Watanuki growled, too tired to shout, as he pointed at the empty sake bottles on the table. To that, Yuuko just laughed.

"Of course! I had to put _something_ in my stomach, didn't I?" she reasoned, winking at him as he removed his shoes and started making his way to the kitchen.

"Then you won't be needing _this_ today… I'll store it away for-"

"That is not for me, Watanuki," she interrupted him. He stopped walking and turned to blink at her in confusion. "That is your payment for completing the mission. Yours and Doumeki's."

"B-But you-"

"All I did was act as a messenger…so I still get a glass! Come oooon, Watanuki! Pour me a glass and then go give Doumeki his half!"

_What?_ he wondered inwardly. Not her payment? …His?

"But I don't drink wine!" he argued, resting one of his palms on his forehead, still trying to will the headache away. Doumeki had insisted on walking him all the way to the store, as if Watanuki were to fall over and knock himself out at any given moment. Conversation had been short, as usual, though his head was throbbing so he'd tried not to shout as much. Nonetheless he poured Yuuko the glass she had demanded, bringing it to her as she lounged in her couch.

"That is not regular wine, you know. It's really sweet and relaxing."

"And that makes it different from regular wine because…?" He continued to stare at her expectantly as she took a small sip, closing her eyes in pleasure. "I still don't drink alcohol."

"It's not alcohol."

"I-It's not!"

"No, it's not. Like I told you, it isn't wine. This is nectar, Watanuki. A very special nectar from a very special, rare place."

"And…where is that?"

"Nowhere!" she laughed, beaming up at him from behind her glass. "At least nowhere that you should worry yourself with. Now, hurry along and go to Doumeki's place to give him his half. You have to pay for services, as you have to get paid for yours. You wouldn't want to disrupt the balance, would you?"

"Hmph," he grunted as he returned to the kitchen. "I'll give it to him tomorrow."

"You'll give it to him now! Rush along, little Watanuki. You've been off the clock for a while now."

"What about food?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," she laughed once more, her cheeks starting to turn pink already.

"What about Mokona? Where is Mokona anyway?" He started to look around, wondering just where the little black puff had gone to.

"He's out on an errand. Come oooon Watanukiiii! Doumeki is waiting for youuuu-" Watanuki gasped, staring at her in horror as she broke into song, hanging half-on and half-off the couch, waving the wine glass in the air in rhythm. "Waitiiiing waitiiiing, to drink the wiiine, Doumeki and Watanukiii-"

"Y-Yuuko….san?" He suddenly decided that it would be a _wonderful _idea to leave and grabbed the wine bottle, stuffing the cork back into the top to keep it from spilling. He ran to his shoes, slipped his feet in, and ran out, plugging his ears against the most horrifying notes anybody could ever make.

-----------------------------Rare Doumeki's POV Scene---------------------------------

Doumeki fastened the sash around his waist and sighed. His hair was still wet after the shower he had forced himself to take in order to relax, though it had done little to help with the feelings that raged in his chest. He had thought that Watanuki was dead. He had felt his pulse, repetitive soft flutters in his wrist, but had thought that he was dead anyway. He had been white, and so _cold_…

_Don't think about it,_ he commanded himself, shaking his head softly. He surprised himself with just how quickly he had panicked. On the way back he couldn't stop himself from worrying that Watanuki would fall over at any moment and knock himself out again. As funny as it sounded, he'd really felt that way. The way that he was swaying, dizzy and weak, the way he kept touching his forehead as if it was throbbing in pain… He couldn't do anything but worry.

Once more, the cold shower did _very_ little to help. _Food_, he decided. Some food in his stomach would surely calm his nerves.

After making his way to the kitchen, he began to look around for something edible, all the while trying to shove the image of Watanuki out of his head. He found…noodles. _Microwave_. He carefully heated it in the microwave (all the time praying that it wouldn't explode, like last time) and then gingerly transferred the cup to the table, trying not to burn his fingers (also like last time). He used to be able to cook quite decently, but Watanuki's bentos had spoilt him to laziness. He still cooked for himself, but no longer made complete meals, since no matter how hard he tried, they would never match up to the taste of what he got to eat at school. Noodles would do. At least those were easy enough so that their bad taste couldn't _disappoint_ him.

He was stabbing his chopsticks into the mass of what had better been edible, when a knock on the door interrupted him. He stood still for a moment, wondering if it was just his imagination, when they knocked again. Who would go visiting at that time of night? He'd just ignore it until they went away.

"**OI DOUMEKI, OPEN THE DOOR ALREADY**!"

"Watanuki?" he muttered under his breath as he made his way to the door. Was something wrong?

"Well, you took your sweet time!" Watanuki growled at him after he finally slid the door open to stare at him blankly. He felt almost confused when a very familiar bottle of wine was shoved into his face. "I didn't want to bring it to you today, but Yuuko called me at home and threatened me - now take it so I can go sleep in peace!"

"The wine?" he wondered, staring at the label-less bottle. "Isn't that Yuuko's? Why would she give me the wine?"

"She says it's our payment for the mission, but I don't want-……… Are those…_microwaved _noodles?" Watanuki was gazing past him and into the shrine, sniffing the air suspiciously. Doumeki blinked in surprise - the kitchen was three rooms down!

"Uhn."

"You're eating _microwaved _noodles?"

"Yea, so?" Their gazes locked and the two of them stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"Are you a complete _idiot?_" Watanuki roared finally, pushing past Doumeki and into the shrine. "That's the lowliest food for even _you_! I'll have nightmares if I leave you like this, so I'll make something - _but you owe me more than you can possibly imagine!_"

Doumeki stared after the shorter boy as he stomped his way to the kitchen (which he found by following his nose) and then turned to stare at the empty doorway.

_I get to eat something good_, he thought happily as he slid the door shut. Coming from the kitchen, he could hear Watanuki grumbling to himself and another noise that sounded suspiciously like microwaved noodles getting chopped up in the food disposal.

--------------------------------------OWARI!-----------------------------------------

Fin! Fin of this chapter, at least. I want to go see if I have time to eat anything because I'm starving out of my brain. (is that even possible..?)

Hope it was ok. Sorry the mush didn't come yet - but hey! The good news: the story is gonna be longer than I thought! Since I didn't have the drinking in this chapter, I'll post another one in the afternoon. I'll just have to study a lot more at home…meaning no internet. ;-; but the next chapter is worth it.

Please review and let me know what you thought… Also, a note, these chapters aren't revised, that means I write them and I post them without going over them and making corrections… I will do that one day, but for now I just want to finish the story. :)

-Kitou.Shinri-

EDIT. v.v I've been working on chapters 8 and 9 for hours. They're going to be posted together, since they're pretty much the opening to the smut, and then the smut. Thing is, I can't finish the smut yet. I'm stuck and I'm sleepy and out of time :) I must be in bed before 11 since I wake up at 4:45 on weekdays, so um... I'll work on chapter 9 all day when I come back from work :o (I work on Fridays, no school, no computer) and as soon as I make it decent I'll post both beauties. (Um...yea, lol, beauties. At least chapter 9 is longer ... I think)

Please forgive the struggling newbie yaoi writer :D please! I'll take a notebook to work and sneak some writing done there, ok? See you next two chapters!


	8. Hold Me

**This was written a week ago. I'll make a more extensive Authors/Note at the end ;-;**

---

I couldn't _believe_ how many people commented on the noodles. XD I wanted to make a note of the fact that I myself _love_ micro-noodles, but I forgot XD so I'll tell you now. Guess what I'm busy slurping away right at this moment? RAMEN NOODLES! With veggies and shrimp, but the veggies taste weird so I'm pushing them aside and just eating the noodles. I never liked veggies. I microwaved this, by the way XD

Now, I know I said this to a few other reviewers before, so I apologize for the repetition, but the sole reason I wrote that awful note against the micro-noods was this: I was desperately flitting around in my mind in search of an excuse good enough for Watanuki to consciously enter into the Den of Doumeki. Food is what Watanuki is the best at…so I figured that lazy cooking would do the trick. -envisions Watanuki stabbing a wooden spoon down the garbage disposal to make sure the noodles are all gone, mumbling like a madman-

Now, the reviews all made me smile and laugh and feel happy, and I thank all of you. I tried writing yesterday, but my time ran out the moment I opened word. I tried writing this morning, but then I remembered math tutoring and the test and homework I needed to complete before getting there. Sowwy! So, I'm writing this at home :D hurray!

As for the food/garbage disposal, I don't know if it's my weirdo family or if it's a regional thing...um...please pick out the word that works best for you and envision it in the last sentence of the last chapter :) Thank you.

**Disclaimer: I own only the weird wine that isn't wine.**

ps. Look at the chapter title! Muahaha, does THAT foretell something

--------------------------------CHAPTER 8: _Hold Me_----------------------------------------

"HERE!" Watanuki huffed as he placed the bowl in front of the long-ago-seated and _very_ expectant Doumeki.

"…" the archer stared down at the food blankly, his hands twitching on his lap as he opened him mouth to say something, only to shut it again.

"What? Is there a problem with the food, almighty Lazy One?" Doumeki let the growled insult fly away in some other random direction, ignoring it completely as he continued to stare at his food.

"…I just can't see the point in mincing up my noodles and complaining about me making noodles, only to make me noodles."

"Doumeki," Watanuki hissed dangerously, his eyes practically glinting as he fisted his hands on his waist. "Your kitchen has nothing _but_ noodles. Noodles and _fish_. I consider myself lucky to have found milk in the fridge, so just be quiet and eat that while I finish the remaining shrimp."

"More shrimp?" Doumeki wondered out loud as he took hold of his chopsticks and took a taste. "But there's shrimp in the noodles already."

"_Yes_," came the expected, irritated growl. "I put the smaller ones in there. I'm serving the bigger ones separately." In just a few minutes the rest of the food had been served and Watanuki took a seat of his own across the food-inhaling archer. He had begun working on his own meal when his eyes fell on Doumeki's hair.

_His hair is wet,_ he noted. _He must have taken a shower…_He chewed slowly, his eyes tracing a single droplet as it trickled down his neck to rest on a nicely formed collarbone. He didn't even notice he was staring until Doumeki spoke, snapping him back to reality so fast that it wiped his mind blank and rendered him momentarily stupid.

"Huh?" he gasped, blinking the dreamy blurriness and momentary stupidity away and blushing slightly.

"I asked you why you stopped eating," Doumeki repeated patiently, pushing aside the empty bowl and starting to work on the larger shrimp. Watanuki blinked once more, lowering his eyes to his own meal.

"I'll eat as slowly as I want. And you have to stop eating so fast, it's bad for you."

"Where's that wine that Yuuko-san sent?" Was he even _listening?_

"Uh? Oh… On the counter." Doumeki nodded and pushed himself up and Watanuki started eating again. He had to admit that the food was good despite what little he was given to work with. It wasn't _good_ good, but heck if it didn't beat _microwaved noodles_. Hmph.

He'd transferred himself to the larger shrimp as well when Doumeki walked up to him, the scent of bath soap and incense washing over Watanuki. He caught himself sniffing the air and forced himself to stop, snapping his head in the opposite direction. What was wrong with him? Like he hadn't smelt incense before.

Doumeki returned to his own seat and Watanuki looked down on the table to see a filled wine-glass where there hadn't been one before. He stared at it blankly for a few seconds, wondering just how it got there.

"We might as well try it," Doumeki explained. Wait, that made no sense...

"Huh?" The fuzziness from having passed out was _definitely_ still there. There was no other reason for him to act like such an idiot. Yup, it was definitely the passing out, which made it all _Doumeki's_ fault, since if that idiot hadn't been too late to shoot through the barrier, it never would have happened!

"The wine. Drink it."

"But I don't drink wi-" Then it clicked. "Oh! Doumeki, no! This isn't wine, Yuuko said it was nectar or something." Doumeki just shrugged and drank from his own glass, watching Watanuki in silence as the smaller boy forced himself to _ignore_ the archer and finish his food.

"Staring is rude, you know." He thought about adding '_Ignoring what I say is rude too_' but that would have pointless for self-explanatory reasons.

A few minutes later Watanuki was carrying empty dishes to the sink, preparing to wash them. He'd returned to the table for his glass of wine, which remained untouched, and was just about to empty it down the drain when his hand was stopped by another, a hand that couldn't possibly belong to anybody other than-

"Doumeki, would you please _let go of my hand?_" he growled through gritted teeth, turning to glare at the archer from over his shoulder. Doumeki's expression remained inscrutable, though his eyes flared in a way that took Watanuki by surprise. He soon found himself gaping instead of glaring, which only made him blush and swiftly look away. "Please let go." Wow, that sounded a lot more pitiful than he had planned...

"Try the wine." Huh?

"Why should I? And I told you, it's not wine." He tried tugging his arm free, but that only made Doumeki tighten his grip even more. "Ouch, that hurts-"

"It's good. Try it."

"Stop telling me what to do and _let go of my-_"

"This was payment for our mission, right?" Doumeki asked softly, relaxing his grip without letting go completely. To make up for it, he stepped closer, placing his left hand on the counter next to Watanuki, trapping him in. Watanuki didn't have the time to try turning around before Doumeki was talking again. "To throw this away would be an insult to both me and yourself. Allow yourself to be rewarded, Watanuki. It's really good."

"D-D-Doumeki, aren't you standing a little too-"

"It's going to relax you, just drink it." Now he could even feel his breath on the nape of his neck and it sent goosebumps down his arms. He could feel him, close, but not touching...

He took a deep breath, held it, relaxed, let it out... "If I drink the stupid thing, will you move?" A heartbeat of silence. Two.

"Absolutely..."

"Good enough." He was willing to do anything to make Doumeki back away without him having to physically touch him in order to push him away. For some reason, the proximity made him feel really...nervous. He didn't like it, especially the way Doumeki's breath still tickled his neck.

It was just a drink and the cause was definitely worth it. Doumeki let his hand go as he raised the glass to his lips. One, two... Bottoms up.

---------------------------------------OWARI!---------------------------------------

**Where's the smut? Next chapter, obviously. Why next chapter? Because I'm cursed. Explanation!**

**Every time I start a story, I'll NEVER get to write the good part. FREAKIN NEVER. CAUSE I'M CURSED. I've had this chapter written for a while, and I have actually started the next, and I was waiting so I could post them together, but like I said. The curse.**

**I think I should be able to relax after today since TODAY is my super huge calculus 3 exam that's scaring me to bits and pieces… I have to be in tutoring in half an hour, and I still have to study the practice test and gather questions. I'm so sorry, but I promise, I'm not giving this story up. I like it too much.**

**I've now read all of xxxHOLiC that's out (minus the volume that's coming out in a month) so I'm a lot more confident about the characters…even though they're about to skyrocket into OOC right about now. This chapter may have sucked - that's because I wrote it days ago, at home (I'm only inspired in the library) and I haven't corrected it. -sorry- I'm just so stressed with my new job and the way my computer is falling apart -cries-**

**Will cookies make it up? -gives cookies to everybody-**

**Please forgive me, and give me some time, and chapter 9 (my favorite number too!) will be up eventually.**

**Ps. This story has passed 1000 hits -happy- although it did that a long time ago -teardrop- I want to send a huge 'DOMO ARI!' to everybody. Lots of love!**

**-A Very Stressed Out Shinri**


	9. Touch Me

This was so hard to write, considering the writer's block that decided to hit me because I'm writing in a different environment, but here it is, as promised, though it was promised a looong time ago!

WARNING - please read the warning!

**WARNING: This chapter contains material UNSUITABLE for children. **I promised you smut, butI unfortunately forgot to mention that it was going to be very _visual_ smut. The very smutty kind** It's advised for you to skip this chapter if you're not at least 18 years of age.** You've been warned, I can't get sued or anything :D Also, **if anybody has ANYTHING against romantic and/or sexual relationships between two men, not only should you not read this chapter, you should give up on the entire story while you're at it.**

Also a **Disclaimer: CLAMP owns the two bishies. I hope they don't mind us turning them into Donuts**

And let's try this one more time.

**WARNING. VERY VISUAL SMUT. THE YAOI KIND. MUAHAHAHAHA!**

----------------------------------CHAPTER 9: _Touch me_----------------------------------

One, two... Bottoms up. Watanuki tipped the glass back, letting his eyes close as he gulped the liquid down, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.

...Yuuko was right. It _was_ sweet. It was the sweetest thing that Watanuki had ever tried without getting disgusted over how sweet it was. He could almost feel the cool liquid make its way all the way down to his toes… The feeling should have freaked him out, but he found himself enjoying it instead.

"It really _is_ calming," he mumbled under his breath as he set his empty glass down.

Were all his muscles relaxing, or was it just his imagination? It was as if he could feel all the strain washing away from his body to be replaced by a gentle coolness that was alien to him. The alertness and jumpiness he was so used do were slowly fading, and that confused him. He'd never…felt like that before… His mind refused to concentrate on his crumbling vigilance, defying his will and focusing itself completely on the man that was still standing behind him. He was hardly aware of the feathery feeling that was starting to settle underneath his skin. Everything felt so…slow…

"What…_was_ that…?" Watanuki groaned softly, raising one hand and pressing the palm against his forehead. He didn't hurt anywhere and he wasn't dizzy, but something was different in his _head_. The thoughts he usually had were still in there, but just as he'd try to put a finger on them they would slide out of the way, slide, slide, slide, and although he was somewhat aware of them…they just… What was he thinking now? The cool feeling was weird. It was cold, but hot at the same time. Was he sweating? No, he wasn't… His forehead was dry. Then..?

His fuzzy thoughts became even fuzzier when Doumeki moved, wrapping his arms around Watanuki and pressing him against his chest.

"D-DOUMEKI!" he stammered, his eyes opening wide as his hands fumbled with Doumeki's. He wanted to pry the arms open and release himself, but failed _miserably_ when he felt Doumeki's _tongue_ on his _neck_. He squeaked, slapping a hand over his mouth in embarrassment. Doumeki chuckled, his warm breath sending a static through Watanuki that drained away all of his power to resist. "Wh-what…are you doing?" he managed to ask after Doumeki made it obvious that he wasn't planning on stopping anytime soon.

"Moving," Doumeki replied simply, then as an afterthought added, "_closer_."

"You idiot! That's not what I asked you to do and you know it!"

"You should have made yourself clearer."

"S-Stop, STOP KISSING THERE!" the young seer choked out as Doumeki began to trail his neckline with soft kisses, slowly making his way up to the shorter boy's chin. Watanuki tried to squirm, embarrassing himself by how weak his resistance was. There was no getting away. Doumeki halted all movement by flicking his tongue on the skin right under Watanuki's ear. He was rewarded by a soft peeping sound that made him chuckle once more. "What's _wrong_ with you? I'm a guy! _Let me go!_"

"No."

Watanuki then found himself being spun around, swiftly yet gently. The change in surroundings was so sudden that he had to blink a couple of times before he realized that the guy standing in front of him was Doumeki. He looked different. Well, he still looked the same, but his _eyes_ were different, locking onto his gaze with a passion that Watanuki had never thought possible - especially for the stoic face that was now gazing down upon him. The look was frightening at the same time that it was alarmingly arousing. He felt trapped, cornered by a predator that he had never deemed unsafe before. Those eyes…they were dangerous. They made the inch between their bodies feel like nothing.

"Doumeki-"

"Shh," Doumeki interrupted, raising one hand to gently place one finger on Watanuki's lips. "Don't think."

He leaned in slowly, hesitated, leaned in a little more, refusing to break their gaze as he gently brushed his lips over Watanuki's. Electricity zapped through Watanuki's body, his skin exploding in goosebumps as his legs threatened to buckle beneath him. He instictively grasped at the counter edge behind him, squeezing it tightly as the archer brought their lips together once more, lingering for a moment before pulling away. He hadn't broken eye contact. He had no idea how he'd managed not to, but he did it. Even though his chest was so tight that it hurt, even though his stomach was a knot, even though his knees were threatening to crumble beneath him and his lips burned with the lingering feeling of Doumeki's warmth, he didn't look away. Doumeki wasn't moving any more...and Watanuki knew just what his eyes were asking.

'_The choice to think was never mine_,' he sighed inwardly as his hands, seeming to move on their own accord, let go of the counter. He felt himself wobble slightly before his fists closed around the material of Doumeki's shirt, pulling the archer closer in silent permission.

Was it surprise that flared in Doumeki's eyes, or was it relief? It didn't matter. Just like how their lips were once again pressed together despite the fact that they were rivals, it didn't matter. Despite the fact that they were both guys, and though it should have, it didn't matter... All that was important now was to touch, to taste, to feel that there's somebody there. Every other thought faded to the background.

Doumeki's arms had once more tightened around Watanuki and he nibbled softly on the seer's lower lip, flicking his tongue almost leisurely and coaxing his way in. Watanuki's lips parted invitingly, his own tongue instantly engaging in a passionate battle with Doumeki's, a battle they would both win either way. He let his arms slither upwards, wrapping them around Doumeki's neck and clinging onto him tightly.

"Watanuki," Doumeki gasped when they finally pulled away to breathe. His eyes searched Watanuki's deeply, a soft frown creasing his brows. "You know that if we do this-"

Watanuki felt too fuzzy-mineded to argue, so he settled with kissing him instead, sealing his lips with his own and strengthening the fire that had burst into existence between them. He took Doumeki's earlier advice to heart, and refused to think.

He let himself make the first move, his trembling hands fumbling with the buttons on Doumeki's shirt as he continued to kiss him, tilting his head slightly in order for Doumeki to deeped it further. They stumbled away from the counter as the first shirt fell to the ground. Cloth continued to fall and one of them tripped, causing for both of them to crash down together. Watanuki gasped at the sudden weight on top of him as the air rushed out of his lungs, but when Doumeki began to pull away, worried, he chuckled and tightened his hold on him. That appeared to be enough incentive for Doumeki to lower himself on the seer, burrying his face in the crook of Watanuki's neck and nibbling softly on the sensitive skin he found there.

Hands were feeling, lips claiming, eyes burning with desire. Watanuki gasped when Doumeki's tongue trailed down his chest, the taller boy's hands working on his belt. A passionate fever overcame him when Doumeki's hand slipped into his pants, stroking him gently. The fever turned into shivers, and he moaned, unsure of whether he should urge him on or pull away. Doumeki's tongue flicking into his bellybutton erased all worry, along with every other thought as he slapped his hands over his mouth to muffle the ticklish squeak. That shameless-

"Oh," he groaned, finding himself once more unable to concentrate as Doumeki's hand wrapped around him, stroking gently. That feeling was shortly followed another touch, a warmer, _wetter_ touch... "D-Doumeki!" he gasped, reaching his hands towards Doumeki in the intent of pulling him away. He was a second too late. He felt Doumeki's mouth close in around him and all of his shock and surprise melted right out of him. His fingers curled into the archer's hair and he arched back. He never would have expected it to feel that way; the sensations that were coursing through his body were all new to him. It was pleasure beyond anything he had ever experienced before. He wanted it to continue forever while at the same time prayed for it to stop. He couldn't take much more of- "Doumeki," he moaned softly, his toes curling against his will as he brought his knees up a little, his eyes closing tightly. The feeling was too intense... "Doumeki, please..." What was that need that he was feeling? Another alien feeling... He felt a _yearning_ that he just _couldn't_ place... He forced himself to open his eyes and look down at Doumeki, to look down at what he would have never expected to happen. Doumeki pleasuring _him_... "Please..."

His pleas did the trick, drawing a groan from Doumeki as the boy finally looked up. Watanuki once more found himself unable to move. The way he was looking at him, running his tongue up the length of him once more, eyes demanding...it was horrifyingly arousing. Doumeki should never look that way...

The archer brought himself back up slowly, lingering over Watanuki's chest to take one tight-budded nipple into his mouth and suckle gently. Once more Watanuki moaned, and he had to fight back the urge to run his nails down the other boy's back. The feeling was going to make him _burst-_ "Doumeki," he almost growled, reaching one hand down to Doumeki's still-buckled pants and cupping what happened to be a very _apparent_ indication that Doumeki wanted him - _badly_. He smirked as he realized that Doumeki had frozen stiff by his touch, his hands clenched tightly where he supported himself on the ground, and so Watanuki ran his hand over the bulge, applying gentle pressure. This time Doumeki's groan was different, seeming to gurgle up from his very core...

"You're treading on dangerous grounds, Watanuki," he murmured softly, his hands gripping at Watanuki's pants and tugging them down. He gave Watanuki one last swift bite before he pulled himself down and out of his reach, swiftly getting rid of Watanuki's pants and shoes - fast enough that Watanuki blinked in shock when he found himself splayed on the ground, fully naked. Doumeki then covered him with his own body, distracting him once more with a kiss. Watanuki was the one to plunge into the depths of his mouth, his tongue making the demands that his voice could not. He was kissed back just as passionately, tongues swirling in a dance of mutual desire. He could taste himself on Doumeki's tongue, but for some reason it didn't matter. Any way that Doumeki tasted was good...

"Doumeki," he whined when the archer pulled away and tried to pull him back down, to devour all of him so that maybe the ardent desire in him would douse slightly, that desire that Watanuki simply couldn't _place_ - but Doumeki resisted. Eyes locked, hearts racing, they just gazed at each other silently until Doumeki spoke.

"This is dangerous," he said softly, his expression serious. "You're going to-"

"I wan't you, Doumeki." There! He placed it. And he knew he was right by the way his chest felt lighter after he'd said it. He wanted Doumeki...and by the looks of things, Doumeki wanted him too.

This time it was Doumeki's mind that was swiped clean and he sighed in defeat, reaching down to undo his own pants. Watanuki automatically wrapped his legs around Doumeki's waist, refusing to wait a moment longer- "Watanuki," Doumeki gasped right before their lips crashed together once more. He placed one hand on the seer's chest, forcing himself to push him away just one last time...and by the look that Watanuki gave him, he instantly decided never to do that again. "It's too soon, Watanuki- hey!" He was being kissed again, his warnings completely ignored. Watanuki tightened the grip that his legs had on him and he arched upwards, growling in demand as the fire in his chest continued to torment him.

"Doumeki."

"You're not _ready_-"

"Now, Doumeki!" Watanuki felt really proud, seeing the effect that his words had on the usually stoic-faced archer. This time they gave him a resigned expression, one that only party veiled a yearning that must have rivaled Watanuki's.

"It's going to hurt."

"I don't care, I don't-" ...He did.

This time he _did_ run his nails down Doumeki's back, gripping onto him tightly as the archer burried himself in Watanuki's body. He noticed that he was holding his breath and forced himself to gasp for air, closing his eyes and whimpering softly as the pain ripped through him once more. Yes, it hurt...but he didn't want Doumeki to stop. The second thrust hurt a little less than the first, and the third was even more bearable. Doumeki had been right when he'd stated that Watanuki hadn't been physically prepared for it, but Watanuki knew he couldn't have waited any longer...so he beared with the pain. He kept his eyes closed, holding Doumeki close to him and his legs tight around his waist, gasping at the feelings that slowly became noticeable as the pain slowly lessened. It still hurt - like _hell_ - but for some reason he could see past it. Was it the drink? He had almost forgotten all about the drink.

"Watanuki..." He heard his name whispered huskily and couldn't stop himself from opening his eyes to gaze up at the owner of the voice. Doumeki gazed back at him, a tinge of sadness and regret in his eyes as he ran a finger over Watanuki's cheek, wiping away a tear that Watanuki never remembered shedding. The self-loathing look in Doumeki's eyes was too much for him to bare and he prodded himself up on his elbows, kissing the archer gently, the sound of his name beig whispered to him still ringing in his mind.

"Don't stop..."

Having been given the reassurance that he needed, Doumeki kissed him back, caressing him softly as he began to move once more. For some reason, with Doumeki's arms wrapped around him, with Doumeki's heat burning against his skin, it didn't hurt as much.

-----------------------------------OWARI-----------------------------------

I'M SORRY! I got a new laptop and it doenst have word so I can't spell check! I'm sorry! I had to get it up today because I promised! -bow- I'll revise it later today or tomorrow, I swear, but I have to go to work now and I promised to post this today. :) I hope it wasn't too explicit or too non explicit (so many kinds of yaoi readers out there...) and this is the first...lemon that I share with the world (the second that I actually write) so please take it easy on me. A few more chapters for the story.

I'm gonna be late! I have to go! Please review, I love you guys.

-k.s-

ps. explanations on what the drink actually WAS: next chapter :) when you see Yuuko. lol, I love that drink.

pps. I just tried going over it to revise. This chapter makes me feel so embarrassed that I think I'm just gonna leave it like this for now -sweatdrop- Anyways, like I said, there are a few more chapters yet... This lemon happened thanks to the drink, which you'll learn about next chapter, or next TWO chapters depending on how long I decide to make them. The story will end with yet another lemon (which I dread to write, since I suck at this kind of stuff) but this time they will be A) sober, B) prepared! -yay- Yes, that one won't be as rushed as this time. I hope. ANYWAYS CHANGE OF SUBJECT-

Hope it wasn't too horrible, please review... I'll try to have another up soon, but we're moving in a week and we pack all day... I'll try... Sankyuu for sticking with me so far...

-Shinri


	10. Forgive Me

_I am currenlty, extremely pissed off. Why? Because this chapter has been nothing but bad luck. I wrote it a long time ago. I thought I'd posted it, and then I found out that I didn't! Ever since then, every time I open word or this window to load the damn thing, something goes wrong! And I got a freaking writer's block. This chapter is short...and I tried to make it longer...and I had a lot written...and then the stupid computer deleted all of it!_

_Hence I am sorry, reaaally sorry, but this widdle chappie is all that I can offer... I must hurry, just in case something stupid happens again._

-----------------------------CHAPTER 10: _Forgive Me_------------------------------

'Ouch.' That was the first thought to enter Watanuki's head when his consciousness returned to him. Things _hurt_. Things that weren't _supposed_ to hurt, hurt. 'Ouch.' He allowed himself a few seconds to grit his teeth and get used to the stinging feeling in his bottom before forcing his eyes open.

His bottom and all matters related to it immediately disappeared from his mind as he took in his surroundings. This was NOT his home. The bed he was lying in was warm, but it was _not_ his. The wall he was facing had a window in it when his _didn't_. His eyes darted about, his body chilling further with every additional object he located and labeled foreign.

Why wasn't he in his room?

Memories of the previous night came flooding back. The food, the drink, the kiss - the pain that had been dulled so easily by the warmth of a body he wouldn't have accepted in any normal circumstance, a body that he could still remember feeling move inside of him…

'That pervert,' he hissed inwardly, a deep blush flooding his cheeks at the memory. The image of Doumeki's _very_ naked form was still burnt _very_ vividly in his mind; all of it. 'Damn that pervert, taking advantage of me like that…'

It was the drink. He blamed everything on the drink and the stupid witch that had told him to bring it along. He blamed it all on the arrogant little boy that had tricked him into drinking it - but had he really been tricked? 'I was tricked. That _bastard-_' Doumeki had tried it first. He had known exactly what it did. Had he not had enough self control to keep his filthy paws OFF of Watanuki? Why had he forced him to drink as well? 'To take _advantage_ of me, that **_bastard_**-'

"You're mad." The voice broke into his thoughts, bringing him back to the here and the now. He noticed that he was glaring a pair of holes into the wall, his hands gripping the covers so tightly that he was shaking. A growl escaped his lips as he parted them to respond.

"Of _course_ I'm _mad_," he snarled, burying his clenched fists into the mattress and slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. Pain thundered through his frail body, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure it, forcing the shaking to stop. After a couple of seconds, which felt like an eternity of torture, he forced himself to gather all the pain that had exploded into being in his lower half and focus it in the deadliest glare, which he now centered on Doumeki.

The archer was out of bed, dressed and patiently seated on the ground at the foot of the futon, his expression as stoic as ever. Watanuki, naturally, was still naked. Butt naked. Butt pain. The butt was in a _lot_ of _pain_-

The butt ached bad enough that Watanuki had to end the glare he was showering Doumeki with and allow himself to collapse back into the mattress with a groan. Seeing as he couldn't use his eyes to deluge Doumeki in hatred, he'd have to resort to words…another of his favorite mediums.

"You stupid, arrogant rapist!" he growled softly, afraid of what sudden, raging screams would do to the pain he was desperately trying to withstand. "To think that you're the type to take _advantage_-"

"You didn't ask me to stop," Doumeki reminded him. Watanuki flinched, knowing very well that the archer was right. That only made him even angrier.

"If you _had_ a brain, I'd suggest you'd start making _use_ of it! I like Himawari-chan! Hi-ma-wa-ri! Isn't it _obvious_ enough? What kind of guy would have sex with _another guy_? What kind of an idiot would even vaguely believe, even for a moment, that **_I_** would want to be with **_you_**? It's disgusting! I don't even want to _look_ at you!" He ended up shouting after all. He was shaking again as well, though this time it was because of the cold. Why did he feel cold?

He clutched the covers tightly against his bare skin, shutting his eyes and growling softly. He felt so MAD.

"And now I can't even MOVE. Just because you can't hold your liquor doesn't excuse your _touching_ me like that - **_damnit _**Doumeki!" He took a few deep breaths, truing to calm himself in hopes that the pain would go away too. Doumeki remained silent as he tried shifting his position in bed. No good… There was no way he could move.

And why was Doumeki being so quiet anyways? Normally he would at least snap at him to shut up. Wasn't he planning on defending himself any more? Watanuki's mind was so flooded with excuses on Doumeki's behalf that he couldn't help but feel sick. He raised one hand to his head, covering his face with his palm as he sighed. He felt so…

"Go away. I want to be alone. I'll leave as soon as I can move." The room was silent for a few more seconds, as if Doumeki refused to leave. Just when Watanuki was about to repeat his request for solitude, he heard Doumeki shuffling, slowly pushing himself to his feet. Watanuki kept his eyes shut, refusing to look at him as he walked to the door. His eyes were beginning to sting. Was everything going to start hurting?

"I'm sorry I hurt you." The apology was whispered softly and was barely audible, yet it stabbed into Watanuki's chest, sending violent ripples of ice through his entire body. His composure shattered the very instant he heard the door close.

-------------------------------------VERY RARE DOUMEKI POV--------------------------------

Doumeki leaned back against the door, the muffled sound of Watanuki's sobs tearing at his conscience. He sighed and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the cold, hard floor; a floor he had pushed Watanuki down on just hours before… He had experienced physical pain as well, but it meant nothing in the face of what Watanuki had to deal with. The only thing that mattered was that he hurt Watanuki…and was now hated by him.

He'd awoken in a state of shock that surely rivaled Watanuki's. It had taken him a moment to remember everything, but when he did he had been struck cold by the realization that he didn't find the memory disgusting…not in the very least. He'd taken a shower, giving himself something to do as he contemplated the situation. By the time he dressed and took a post at the foot of the futon, he'd figured out exactly what was going on in the subconscious, shadowy section of his mind. He liked Watanuki.

But Watanuki didn't like him. Watanuki said that he found the thought of them being together disgusting. Maybe he truly was in love with that other girl…after all…

He forced himself to stay seated there. Having to listen to Watanuki cry was the greatest punishment he could have had to endure. This time…he'd ruined everything.

----------------------------OWARI----------------------------------------

_Sigh... Finally posted, ne? I'm not lying, I've been trying to write more, but my friend lent me a lot (a LOT, a FREAKING LOT) of manga last friday and I was intent on reading and returning them all yesterday... I succeeded! But I still have a couple of DVDs to watch...which I'm copying, so I can watch later and come back to you guys!_

_Warning, from now on both Doumeki's and Watanuki's behaviors while shift away from their characters in the actual anime/manga. Why? Because chapter 9 never happened in neither the manga or the anime. Both of them have to deal with each other differently now. However, if I do really mess up, let me know:) Please._

_I hope you guys don't hate me for being slow ;;_

_-K.S-_


	11. Don't Go

_haHAAA!!! I bet you all thought I had DIED!!! Muahaha!_

_Ok, this chapter was freakin CURSED. Yes, homework, work and finals have played a big part in my disappearance, but this chapter was honestly, very cursed. I kept getting it lost. o.o Until I got the message and changed it. hehe - that's my Muse's own way of communicating with me. If she doesn't like the way I'm making things go, she either takes away all inspiration or takes away the actual darn piece of work._

_I do update my profile with how my writing is going on, so if someone actually wants to find out if I'm dead, if I'm writing or if I've decided to give up on a story, just check in-- The most recent updates are at the very top. No scrolling necessary - though the last time I edited my profile IS displayed at the very BOTTOM of the page._

_Ok, I'll shut up so you can read what has taken me 2 whopping months to write. (I hate the beginning, but I can't bother changing it. Oooh well.)_

* * *

Somehow Watanuki managed to stop crying. With his face buried in the soft, white pillow, somehow he managed to fall asleep. Somehow…

_  
He felt Doumeki's mouth close in around him… His fingers curled into the archer's hair and he arched back._

Somehow the memories found their way in; into his dreams, into his thoughts - they returned no matter how many times he pushed them away.

_It was pleasure beyond anything he had ever experienced before._

Images danged before him as he relived the memories he was so desperately trying to forget. The Watanuki that had touched Doumeki that way, it couldn't have been him!

_He plunged into the depths of Doumeki's mouth, his tongue making the demands that his voice could not. He was kissed back just as passionately, tongues swirling in a dance of mutual desire._

It wasn't mutual. It couldn't have been mutual. They were guys! He liked a _girl_, he wanted a _girl_-

_"I want you Doumeki."_

No… He didn't… He didn't.

_"Now, Doumeki!" A soft complain, piercing through the archer's heart, the effect visible on his face as he was no longer able to resist-_

No! It wasn't Doumeki that was resisting. It wasn't. The memories were wrong. Wrong!

_"I want you Doumeki."_

He-

_"I want you-_

"I DON'T!" he shouted in opposition as he jumped up in reflex. He blinked in surprise as he found himself in complete darkness. Was it night already? Had he slept through the day?

His breath was coming in short gasps and a thin layer of sweat covered his entire body. He was still completely naked, which was a good thing in a way. It meant that Doumeki hadn't dared to lay another dirty finger on hi-

"Watanuki?" the owner of those dirty fingers asked softly from the other side of the door. "Are you alright?" He must have heard him cry out…

"I'm fine!" was what Watanuki wanted to snap back in response, but at the sound of Doumeki's voice his own deserted him. He lowered his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly, angry at those impudent tears that threatened to make an even bigger fool of him. His throat was dry, but he dared not ask for water. His lower half was feeling a lot better, but his stomach felt as if it were on fire.

In other words, he was starving.

'The sooner I leave, the sooner I can eat,' he reasoned, and tried experimenting with moving his body. His arms were fine. His headache was a lot better. His legs responded, although they were still a little shaky, and it didn't hurt to sit up anymore. If he tried hard enough, he might be able to walk…

"Are you alright?" Doumeki repeated, his usually indifferent voice now tinged with worry.

"Leave me alone." This time his voice obeyed him and the message was delivered successfully. He scrubbed one hand against his face, trying to wipe away some of the sweat that was suffocating him. He had to leave. If he could stand, he was going to leave.

…On second thought, if he could locate his clothes, he was going to leave.

---------------RARE DOUMEKI POV THAT IS FOR SOME REASON BECOMING MORE FREQUENT----------------

"Leave me alone."

Doumeki shut his eyes and turned away from the door, sighing softly. He was starving and his back ached from leaning against the wall all day, but he tried not to think about it. He knew that he should be preparing some food to at least offer Watanuki after he had been thrashing in his sleep all day, but for some reason he was afraid to walk away from the door. Anxiety was clawing at his insides and he didn't like it. Even though he would never regret it, yesterday should have never happened.

His stomach growled loudly and he yawned. It was late. What time was it exactly? He couldn't tell. He refused to take his eyes from the door in order to go find out. One day without food wouldn't kill him. He was worried about Watanuki going without a meal, but knew that the smaller boy would refuse anything offered to him by Doumeki, even if his life depended on it. He knew it.

He just had to wait until Watanuki calmed down a little more. He just had to wait until he stopped hating him as much. Doumeki had no experience with explaining his feelings to other people, but this time he wanted to try, as much as it scared him. He wanted to at least try to make Watanuki understand that last night was not him taking advantage of the situation and making use of him… Even if he were to end up being hated, he wanted to know that he had at least tried.

All he had to do was to wait. All he had to do…

------------------------------RARE DOUMEKI POV END----------------------------

Watanuki shot one last glance down at himself and nodded in determination. This would have to do. After he had managed to get out of bed and had gotten used to walking around without fear of falling, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough for him to realize that his clothes _weren't there_. Fortunately enough this happened to be Doumeki's room, and he'd found a few robes in the closet, one of which he had helped himself to. Lack of his uniform wasn't going to stop him from leaving. Nothing was going to stop him from leaving.

He turned to face the door and took a deep breath. He had no idea where Doumeki was, but that big stupid oaf had better not appear out of nowhere and try to stop him.

He walked up to the door and extended one hand, gritting his jaw in determination. He had reached the point of no return…

As he slowly slid the door open, a soft light spilled into the room…at the same time that an ice-cold chill went down his spine. He blinked in surprise, tightening his grip on the door as he gazed down at the dark bundle that was propped against the wall. There was no room for question. That was Doumeki… Dressed in the same clothes as the time that Watanuki kicked him out of the room, had he spent the entire day outside in the hallway?

His chest tightened unexpectedly and he frowned as he tried to understand what the archer was thinking. Why hadn't he just let him be? Why hadn't he just forgotten about him…? Was it that last night hadn't been enough?

That's what he wanted to believe, but despite how stubborn he was, he wasn't stupid enough not to realize that if Doumeki had wanted more of him, he would have broken into the room and taken it…not spent the entire day out in the hallway, propped against the hard wall in what _had_ to be the most uncomfortable pose Watanuki had ever seen.

The memories were still echoing in the back of his mind, but this time he didn't try to muff them out. The physical pain wasn't what had gotten to him…it was the damage caused to his _pride_. It wasn't right to verbally attack Doumeki just because his man-pride was wounded, but he couldn't help it. All the time that he had known Doumeki, this was the last scenario he would've considered possible…or even _considered_ at all. Why was Watanuki the only one that seemed affected? Why was Doumeki taking it so…calmly?

Stupid Doumeki. Everything was his fault…and as his anger slowly turned into sadness, he couldn't help but hate him even more.

He couldn't muster the strength to wake him up. He couldn't even muster the strength to frown as he turned away and began to slowly make his way down the hall. With every step he took, he felt even worse. If Doumeki really never left the hallway, that meant he hadn't eaten.

_Serves him well_, he growled inwardly, his fists clenching in what could be either fury or regret. _…That stupid idiot._

----------------------------------------------- DOUMEKI POV IS BACK! ------------------------------------------------

Doumeki didn't dream, but as he drifted in and out of consciousness, he started to wander if that was what dreams were like. Somehow, even in his stupor he knew that it was impossible. He was too tired to dream, and the more he slept the more tired he seemed to be getting. Rising from his half sleep only to fall back into it, he only half registered how much pain his body was in. A soft groan escaped his lips and he rolled his head over to the other side, forcing himself to ignore the needle of pain that stabbed at that particular location.

_I should move_, he mused absentmindedly. But he couldn't leave the hallway. Even in his sleep, he knew that. He was in the hallway for a reason. See, he had to watch the door just in case-…

_The door!_

He half-jumped in panic as he realized he had fallen asleep, his eyes shooting open in a combination of surprise and of fear as he stared at his bedroom door. The door was open…and the room was empty.

Suddenly very cold, feeling as if someone had spilt a bucket of ice cold water over him, he shivered. He threw panicked glances from side to side, but Watanuki was not in view. How long had he been asleep? How long since Watanuki…

He forced himself onto his feet, groaning at how stiff his body felt. He immediately pushed all protest to the very back of his mind. His own pain didn't matter. He had to find Watanuki… Even if he was not in his house anymore, _he had to find him_.

He forced one foot in front of the other, hastening his steps every second until he was running. Down one hallway, around the corner… He had decided that it didn't matter if Watanuki hated him, but he _had_ to explain to him how he felt… He had to. He absolutely had to.

_Why did I fall asleep?_ he groaned inwardly, angry at himself. If he hadn't fallen asleep…then maybe-

His self-loathing was brought to a sudden halt when he literally collided with the kitchen door - which was, for some bizarre reason, _shut_ - and got thrown back and onto the cold hallway floor. He moaned in pain as he rubbed a palm over his stinging face, rubbing his throbbing nose and blinking startled tears from his eyes. Why was the door closed? He could very well remember leaving it open.

"You get dumber every day, don't you?" an awfully familiar voice snapped from the other side of the door. "But I suppose it serves you well…"

"…Watanuki?!" a cold wave of disbelief swept over him, washing away all pain…and all remaining coherent thought. Instead of leaping onto his feet and flinging the door open - which was what some faraway, ignored fragment of consciousness screamed at Doumeki to do from the darkest, most forgotten corner of his mind - he remained on the floor, gaping at the door as if it had sprouted a pair of eyes and was staring right back at him.

"I bet you thought I was going to leave," Watanuki growled from within the kitchen. Doumeki blinked once, only barely registering any sounds coming from beyond the door other than Watanuki's voice. …A clang? …Footsteps. A…sigh?

He was still gaping at the door when it slowly slid open. Watanuki met Doumeki's gaze as he bleakly leaned against the doorframe, his own eyes validating his surrender.

"So did I."

Doumeki blinked again, somehow unable to come up with an appropriate response to Watanuki's declaration. He was slowly recovering from the shock, however, as his eyes slowly lowered, breaking their link with Watanuki's gaze to take in his even more unexpected attire. Watanuki wiped one hand over the apron that he had slipped over Doumeki's robe, then used the same hand to gesture over his shoulder with his thumb.

"You should stock something other than noodles, you know. It took me twenty minutes to dig up enough ingredients from your sorry excuse of a kitchen to make food. Now stop staring and come in. If you're half as hungry as I am, you'll eat whatever's on the table without complaint."

And he then turned heel and walked back into the kitchen leaving Doumeki in the hallway alone, the irresistible smell of meat and baked potatoes wafting out to embrace him softly.

* * *

_Und das ist the END!_

_There will be more, because although I've decided that I'm probably going to scrap half of the story's beginning upon revision, I DO have to mention SOMEWHERE what the darn drink was. I might just have a small, sappy chapter coming up and then have a Yuuko pov at the end where she tells...maybe Mokona...hm... Oh, and there MIGHT be no more lemon :o I'm actually planning on having sap (ooc? darn. oh well) but no actual lemon...unless I get enough people demanding it, AND the inspiration for it. lol_

_HEY! Holidays coming up. No work! (the math lab closes with the college!) (in other words: no pay! yay! I must write to distract myself from my poverty!) So come on and review. I'll take opinions on which direction you want the ending to take, though in the end it's up to my Muse, Kadesha, to decide._

_Ok! I MUST GO OR I'LL BE LATE TO CLASS AND THUS MY FINAL EXAM O.O_

_-runs away-_

_Please review -grovels- please forgive me! See? I haven't given up._

_-NokturnalAugury_


	12. My Feelings

Yay, another chapter. Siiigh, it was harder than I thought it would be. You see, having Doumeki actually do what I make him do in this chap...is so out of char...that it was really hard for me to manage. I wonder what the actual Doumeki would do..? Oh well, it doesn't matter. The story is almost finished, and my writer's block is so tight I think I'm gonna suffocate D: oh, woe is me. lol, just read-- Sorry it took so long. I DID buy a whiteboard, and I've been using it to work out the plot nonstop. It makes things more fun!

* * *

------------------------- CHAPTER 12 -- My Feelings ----------------------------

Doumeki watched Watanuki eat in silence, having finished his own portion a few moments ago. Neither of them had said a word during the entire time that they ate, both withdrawn into their own, private thoughts. At one point, Doumeki gave up trying to understand why Watanuki hadn't left, since he got the feeling that as soon as they started talking, he would be told. So instead, he worried over what to say when his own turn came around. He'd already decided to explain his feelings, to at least make them known even if they were vehemently rejected, but now that the moment had arrived…he was at a loss of what to say.

_Focus_, he scolded himself inwardly. _You've had girls confess to you before._

But that was different…very different. Doumeki had never been one to put his feelings on any matter on display, and feelings of "like" and "love" were never something he had considered feeling before. How could he tell Watanuki that he cared about him? How could he tell Watanuki that he'd cared for him all along, that he was his number one worry even when he himself wasn't aware of it?

How could he explain the feeling of dread and anxiety that overcame him every time he thought that Watanuki might hate him forever?

It didn't feel like him to say any of that. The feeling was alien and the words refused to come.

"Will you stop staring?" Watanuki snapped softly before taking another bite out of his meal, keeping his eyes on his plate and his voice low. Doumeki blinked in surprise, his inner train of thought now completely thrown off its tracks. If it weren't for the soft blush that decorated the cheeks under that slight frown, he would have forced himself to look away. As it was, Doumeki became even more entranced, his inner dialogue heading in an entirely new direction.

_He's blushing? Why? Does he have a fever?_ The thought that Watanuki might have such a lasting fever because of him fed the guilt that he had nursed since that morning. _Or…is he blushing because…?_

Watanuki set his chopsticks down and finally raised his eyes to Doumeki's, glaring at him openly. For some reason, such an in-character response made Doumeki feel slightly relieved. It was still Watanuki in front of him.

"Don't misunderstand this. I'm stiff furious," Watanuki stated plainly, the confidence and stability of his voice and of his gaze giving Doumeki the suspicion that this speech had been rehearsed many times in the Seer's mind. "I had every intention to leave and never look back, but last night will _haunt_ me if I toss it away without closure. I'm willing to hear you out as long as you don't say anything ridiculously stupid. After we're done you'll give me back my clothes, I'll _finally_ return to my own house and we will never, _ever_ speak of this again."

…_Well that just made things a few billions of times harder._ What was he to do? Even if he found the right words to say and the courage to say them, Watanuki would deem it all 'stupid' and refuse to listen. Doumeki didn't want to forget and to move on. He wanted to confess and to _remember_.

"Then again," Watanuki growled softly after a few silent moments of silent staring, "if you have _nothing_ to say, I could just leave now."

"I have something to say," Doumeki sighed, defeated. It wasn't like he had a choice. Once he had made a decision, he never backed up on it. "I'm just finding it really hard putting my thoughts into words that you won't find stupid." Already used to being glared at, Doumeki wasn't affected in the least by the angry glare Watanuki began to shower him with.

"In _that_ case, we could warm up by starting with a milder subject." At Doumeki's questioning gaze, he continued. "I know just how I acted last night, and I know that there's no way I would have acted that way normally…which brings me to wonder just what on _earth_ that drink that Yuuko-san gave us really was."

A soft shrug, then "An aphrodisiac, probably."

Watanuki shook his head. "She had some herself before I left the store, yet _she_ didn't jump me." Doumeki did his best to ignore how sharp Watanuki's voice had gotten by the end of that comment.

"That is probably because she didn't want you," he continued, softly. As expected, Watanuki laughed, finding the comment ridiculous.

"That wouldn't explain why _you_-"

"Because I wanted to." The sudden declaration took Watanuki by complete surprise. For the few seconds that it took him to recover, he could do nothing but flap his lips helplessly, all memory of what he was about to say wiped clean.

"_What are you saying??_" he finally managed to spit out, jumping to his feet and slapping both palms onto the table. He looked furious, but Doumeki was already half expecting that reaction so he forced his own expression to remain blank and his hopes right next to zero.

"I'm saying that the drink didn't force me to do something I didn't want to. It took a desire that already existed and drew it to the surface, regardless of whether I was aware of it previously or not."

"_And you expect me to believe that_?"

"Not at all. I just promised myself I'd say it."

"For what _purpose_?" Watanuki growled, clenching his fists on the table, still refusing to sit back down.

"Being honest. To both of us."

"…"

It took all the strength he had to endure the ridiculous, angry look he was receiving. He truly wasn't expecting Watanuki to neither believe nor accept him, but that didn't make the experience any less painful.

"You are making no sense." The Seer retracted his fists and took a step back, pushing the chair along with him and shaking his head in denial. "I'm a guy. I like _Himawari_. You're a guy-"

"I like _you_."

------------------------------------------- WATANUKI POV ----------------------------------------

"I like _you_."

Doumeki pushed his own chair back, slowly rising to his full height as well. Watanuki unconsciously took another step back, still shaking his head in denial. The joke that Doumeki was trying to make _wasn't funny_. Yet he was pulling it off very convincingly, with that serious look of his…

"It's obvious that we're both guys, but that doesn't change the way I feel. I also know very well that you like Himawari; you've made that rather obvious and I'm sure that you'll continue to do so. However, I know that she's not the right person for you."

"And you _are_?" He laughed mockingly. "I don't want to hear it!" He continued backing up as Doumeki slowly made his way around the table.

"You wanted to talk."

"I said I didn't want to hear anything stupid!"

"This might sound stupid to you, but it's very serious to me."

"Will you _stop lying_?? You don't like me! You didn't want to- You…" What could he say? What words were the right ones to use? He clenched his fists tightly, shaking his head in vehement refusal. "It was all the drink, _all of it_-"

"…"

"You're lying-"

Doumeki reached him in just two confident strides, swiftly grabbing both of Watanuki's wrists and twisting them around the smaller boy's waist, thus capturing him tightly pressed against his chest. This caught Watanuki by surprise, and he gasped and struggled to free his hands. He had to put space between them. Being pressed against Doumeki's chest like that… He had to put at least an _inch_ of space between them.

But resistance was futile.

"Look at me." Three firm words, uttered with a resolution that Watanuki would have never expected from the archer. "Look at me, Watanuki."

_My name_… Watanuki's raised his gaze to meet Doumeki's before he could stop himself. His hands were still being held tightly behind his own back, but there was no pain.

"Let me go," he forced himself to growl, although it sounded more like a whisper than anything else. Doumeki's expression remained serious and his grip didn't weaken in the least.

"Not until you hear what I have to say." Watanuki pursed his lips tightly and glared up at the tall boy that refused to release him. "I'll understand if you don't want to believe me, but don't call me a liar," he said with a sigh. "The words themselves are hard enough for me to say. The least you can do is acknowledge my confession."

"…Confession? Even _that_ sounds ridiculous!"

"I know it does," he agreed, finally letting go of the smaller boy's wrists and taking a step back.

Watanuki blinked once in surprise at the cold that washed over his front now that Doumeki wasn't there, but then forced himself back to reality. He raised one hand to grip the apron that covered his chest and glared at Doumeki. He had to keep up his resolve. It was a mistake to stay…

Doumeki sighed and closed his eyes, breaking eye contact with Watanuki for just a moment. When he reopened them, he met the shorter boy's glare with a calm resolution that momentarily threw off all of Watanuki's _own_ determination. The look was calm, but not the usual stoic look he was used to receiving from the archer. As much as he wanted to shut him up and leave, he now couldn't. Doumeki's look told him that there was no way out of talking things through thoroughly.

"I'm sorry I hurt you last night. I lost control. I'm not going to blame it on the drink, since I truly am the one responsible. I also need you to understand that I am not apologizing for anything else, since I did nothing else last night that I regret. Knowing that, do you forgive me?"

Suddenly attacked with such a straight-forward attitude, Watanuki was at a loss of both words and thoughts. He was surprised by how seriously Doumeki was taking it all - ensuring that he speaks just the right words and taking one step at a time.

So he had asked for forgiveness. He asked with a serious face, not with a joking gesture or a passing remark. Should Watanuki forgive him? He didn't want to. What happened the night before wasn't a fleeting memory that could just be forgiven that easily, so he wanted to hold a grudge…but he couldn't. Looking into Doumeki's eyes, he knew that the archer was taking everything _very_ seriously, so he couldn't be mad at him for treating everything like a joke. And it was true that it wasn't all Doumeki's fault… Watanuki really, _really_ didn't want to admit it - and out loud, he didn't - but a large share of the blame had his name on it.

"Sure," he huffed dejectedly, not too happy over having lost the mental battle he himself had started the moment he sobered up. Oh well, it was a stupid battle anyw-

That inner dialogue _almost_ made him miss the brief look of relief that flitted over Doumeki's expression. The look was so brief that he had to wonder if he noticed it at all… He didn't have long to wonder, however, since Doumeki took a step forward and started speaking again, looking as determined as ever.

----------------------------------------- NO PARTICULAR POV ----------------------------------------------

"Sure," Watanuki huffed dejectedly, frowning as if he were mad at himself for saying so. Doumeki's hand twitched once as he fought to control his surprise.

_Watanuki actually…?_

But there was no time to wonder and even less time to feel happy over having been forgiven. He decided to take things one step at a time and the first step had been taken. Once more he gathered all of his determination and took a step forward, going over the words once more in his head before putting a voice to them.

"I also said that I don't expect to hear that you like me too, but I would appreciate an honest - and _serious_ - answer."

Watanuki stared at him in silent confusion for a few lingering seconds. "…An answer to _what_?"

"To wh-…" Sure, he'd promised himself not to lose his composure, but that last comment was too much. "To my _feelings_, you idiot!"

"W-What?!" Watanuki's eyes widened and he took a step back, as if Doumeki's sudden change in attitude had struck him physically. "What good do you think will come out of this situation by you calling me an _idiot_? I thought you were asking _me _to be serious-"

"Wait," Doumeki interrupted, raising one hand to silence the voice whose volume had already escaladed to a dangerous level. Surprisingly enough Watanuki _did_ stop talking, and both of them took a moment of silence to breathe in a couple of deep breaths and calm themselves down. "Ok. I'm sorry for shouting… Now, allow me to repeat myself a little more clearly before we completely stray from the point."

He lowered his hand and met Watanuki with a gaze that looked as serious, though maybe not as confident, as the one before he'd let his composure crack. Watanuki knew exactly what was coming, but he didn't interrupt. He needed all the time that he could to mentally prepare himself for what would be expected of him once the archer's speech was over…

"Like I told you before, I like you. I know we're both guys and that most of the world would consider this wrong, but I like you anyway. Are you willing to give me a chance?"

The speech was done just a little too soon and the seer had to fumble for any words to buy him some more time. He didn't care what, just something- "Eh?" That was all that came out. Of course he didn't miss the look of incredulity that Doumeki gave him, but Doumeki stated it simpler anyway.

"Will you go out with me?"

* * *

It was hard enough getting this far, I'm dropping it here. I don't know if I should leave a blank of space or pick up chapter 13 with the same sentence...but I'll think of that in a few minutes, when I start working out CH13PLOT on my whiteboard. I hope it wasn't horrible D: please give me feedback!!! I'll try to make chap 13 the last one, but you never know. Nothing EVER goes the way I plan. lol

-K.Shinri-  



	13. Our Present

Chapter first, notes later.

* * *

------------ CHAPTER 13 :: Our Present -------------

"Will you go out with me?"

Watanuki _thought_ he was prepared, but hearing the words being spoken so forthrightly struck him harder than he had expected. Did he want to date Doumeki? Did he want to date the tall, obnoxious, stone-faced archer for whom he was doomed to make bento for…forever? The useless body that never offered a word of thanks and always took his assistance for granted? …Why didn't he just blurt out 'NO'? For some reason, he was hesitating. Why was he even thinking about it?

'_I'm sorry, but I cannot return your feelings._'

'_I'm sorry, but there's already someone special to me._'

'_I'm sorry, but I-_'

The typical rejections flitted around in his mind, always evading his grasp as he reached for them. For some reason, none of them seemed to suit the Doumeki that now stood in front of him. For some reason, none of them _felt right_.

The silence grew longer and Watanuki's gaze was long unfocused. Doumeki eventually sighed, drawing all attention to himself once more.

"When you… When… _Last night_, what was it that you were thinking?" he asked with only the slightest hint of hesitation, each word spoken with utmost care.

"I was obviously _not _thinking," Watanuki growled, diverting his eyes as the memory of the night before flashed in his mind.

"Ok, fine. Not thinking. What were you _feeling_?" Watanuki's gaze once more returned to Doumeki, his eyes riddled with confusion. What was it that Doumeki was asking…exactly? "What I'm saying is, even if you were 'just turned on', I doubt that just anyone would have done, especially a guy and especially me…unless-"

_Unless I don't hate him as much as I thought I did_… Doumeki hadn't finished the sentence, but the statement had been clear enough for Watanuki's mind to easily pick up on the train of thought offered to him. _I suppose I don't hate him…but surely, I **dislike** him enough so that he wouldn't have been my partner pick… Then why…? I know, the aphrodisiac must have been really strong. Yeah, strong enough so that **anything** would have done. _His gaze was firmly locked with Doumeki's, and as if the archer could sense the more consistent dialogue taking place in the seer's head, he didn't interrupt again. He just held his gaze with eyes that refused to lose their calm. _Those eyes… Come to think of it, with eyes like that…it's a surprise that he's not **immune** to aphrodisiacs… Well, wouldn't he be? …Perhaps he was right, and it wasn't all the drink. Just what **was** I feeling last night?_

He hadn't wanted to face the memories, but now that he did…they weren't as hateful and horrifying as he had believed them to be. They were shocking, true, but they weren't bad. As much as he hated to admit it, he hadn't been forced into anything. His thinking might have not been as it was normally, but it wasn't altogether gone either. He had been thinking, alright…and he had wanted everything just as much as Doumeki had seemed to.

Watanuki quickly diverted his gaze when he felt his cheeks heating up, swiftly waving aside the image that for some reason seemed to be burnt into the back of his eyelids. He remembered _just_ how he had _felt_ too… He sighed in defeat as neither the thoughts or the feelings that he remembered offered any aid to his escape. He experimented with the idea of dating Doumeki, testing it out in his mind for the first time.

It didn't feel all that wrong… It wasn't a perfect romance, and nothing close to what he had fantasized about with Himawari-chan, but it didn't feel _disgusting_ or _hateful _or _frightening_. As much as they argued, the two of them worked very well as a team, and-

Once more, he waved the images aside. He coughed once out loud, clearing his throat -and mind- in preparation for _finally_ getting his wits together and speaking.

_I guess it wouldn't hurt to try things out…and I could always break it off at any time if I end up hating it._

"Before we progress any further, I have two conditions that I want to set down." Doumeki raised an eyebrow, but waited in silence. Watanuki crossed his arms over his chest and frowned slightly, his eyes still averted from Doumeki's piercing gaze. "First of all, you are never to force me to do something I don't want to do."

"That's already a given," Doumeki grunted, sounding offended. "What's the second condition?"

"…If I ever change my mind and break it off, you won't bring the matter up again or mention anything of the sort, ever."

"…" He risked a glance in Doumeki's direction - for the sake of seeing his reaction. What he saw was puzzlement, then surprise, then puzzlement again. Had Watanuki just agreed to date him? Surely, that was what he was wondering.

_The idiot._

"…I'll accept the condition on one condition of my own." Watanuki blinked in surprise, shifting his gaze over to the archer to find him surprisingly _fully_ recovered from a shock that Watanuki was hoping would last just a little bit longer.

"And what would that be?"

"You won't break it off without adequate reason. 'I no longer feel like it' isn't reason enough."

So, he was being _that_ serious after all.

"…Fair enough. In that case, it wouldn't really hurt to try things- HEY! What are-…?" Whatever words were meant to follow were wiped clean from his mind as his lips were claimed in what _might_ have been the very first open display of joy that he had _ever_ witnessed from Doumeki. Shock got the best of him and he didn't resist, standing rigid until Doumeki pulled away.

Doumeki then smiled.

It wasn't a smirk, or a grin, but instead a slight upturning of the corners of his mouth - so slight that it might have not been there at all…

"…So," Doumeki said softly after a short moment of silence, during which the two of them simply stared at each other, each one lost in his own thoughts. "Want to stay over tonight?" Watanuki blinked once before his cheeks deepened to a very dark shade of red. He opened his mouth in shock, only to close it without saying anything and then open it again to gape at the _audacity_-

"_Of course not!_" he roared, flailing his arms around him as Doumeki plugged his ears. "_Do you think I'd fall for that trick?? _I have a house to live in, you know! And there's definitely no way I'm staying! By the way, _where are my clothes?_ I need my clothes back you conniving thief-"

He continued his rant as he stormed out of the kitchen, tossing the apron over his shoulder. Doumeki only chuckled once, softly, as he slowly pulled his fingers out of his ears. As he turned around to follow the raging seer, he made a mental note to thank Yuuko-san - tomorrow, of course, since neither of them was going anywhere that night. After all, they had to wash those uniforms…

----------------- MEANWHILE, AT YUUKO-SAN'S PLACE ----------------

"**Kanpaaaaai!**"

The two of them tipped back their glasses, drowning the tasty drink in one gulp. Watching from just a couple of steps away, Maru and Moro broke into jubilant song. "_Waaai! Kampaai! Kampaaaai!_"

"Waah, that's what I call a good drink!" Yuuko sighed contentedly. "I suppose it can be nice not to have Watanuki around _sometimes_. That way there's nobody to put a limit on drinking" At once she broke into laughter along with her drinking partner, Mokona.

"Yes, Watanuki hasn't been here for two days!" "Maru noted dismally.

"Two days!" Moro parroted, adopting the same disappointed expression.

"Don't worry, you two. He'll be back soon," Yuuko assured them, winking slyly as she refilled her glass. "He and Doumeki must still be enjoying their gift - not that I blame them. Hohoho…"

"Gift?" Mokona asked.

"Gift?" "Gift?" Maru and Moro soon piped in.

"Aah, yes. Watanuki's secret wish - one that he probably would have never realized on his own."

"But were you really just gratifying your own curiosity, then?" Mokona asked, smirking in understanding. Yuuko went through the trouble to try and look embarrassed.

"I just wanted to help! And this way he's already paid me back." Her smile soon faded though and she sighed sadly. "It's just too bad that I had to sacrifice that _fine_ bottle of wine in order to do sooo-"

"Eeh? Wine?"

"Yes. The very finest quality too! I really did do him a favor…but at least I got to filch away a glass or two before giving it to him. Hehehe!"

---------------- HIMAWARI'S POV - THE ONLY TIME ;; -----------------

Himawari-chan smiled warmly at the two tall boys seated across of her in the school courtyard, whispering between themselves urgently. Well, to tell the truth, it was Watanuki that was furiously whispering something in Doumeki's ear, while Doumeki did a perfect job of ignoring him and nonchalantly digging into his bento. Watanuki seemed to notice that Doumeki was ignoring him, and probably realize that he was doing it just to spite him, and he was getting more and more angry with every passing second. His face was reddening, his whispering was becoming more curt, and his expressions were becoming more hilarious. Himawari-chan chuckled softly as she watched what she proudly proclaimed to be her _favorite_ pastime comedy show.

"Hi-Himawari-chan!" Watanuki gasped, seeming flustered, as if he just realized how obvious his whispering had been. "H-Ho-How are you today? I mean, um, the food! How's your food tasting? It doesn't seem like you've touched it yet." Yep, his face was _definitely_ becoming redder. Doumeki continued to dig in as if none of the other two even existed.

"I'm sorry, I just got a little distracted watching you two," she admitted cheerfully as she picked up her chopsticks finally. "You two seem closer than ever now!"

Even though Watanuki hadn't been chewing on anything at the time, he choked, and started coughing uncontrollably. Even Doumeki paused his eating to gaze at Watanuki as he struggled to get his breathing under control once more.

"Hi-Himawari-chaaan! Hehe, wha- what did you mean by _that?_ Doumeki and I aren't-"

"Oh yes we are."

"DOUMEKI! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU! came the roar of fury and Watanuki's embarrassed expression turned into one of _anger_ so fast that Himawari couldn't help but chuckle again.

But this time, she wasn't heard.

Doumeki resumed his eating, one hand plugging the ear closest to Watanuki as the smaller boy continued to roar and flail his arms in desperation. The shouts soon switched back to whispers again though, and then to growls, and then to whimpers as he turned away and started mumbling to himself with an expression that screamed '_what do I doooo?'_.

Just a short moment later, Doumeki extended his chopstick-bearing hand to Watanuki, holding a fried shrimp in front of Watanuki's lips in offering. Watanuki's mumbling was instantly brought to an end as he gazed at Doumeki in both surprise and puzzlement.

"It's good," was all that the archer said before moving the shrimp closer. Watanuki sighed and ate it, chewing slowly as Doumeki resumed his eating.

"…Of _course_ it's good," he growled a couple of moments later. " I _made_ it. I _cooked_ it! I _packed_ it in that bento! Me, the almighty Watanuki-sama! Of course-"

Even though Watanuki was ranting again, even though Doumeki was once more completely ignoring him, the atmosphere seemed to have gotten lighter. Watanuki filched one more of Doumeki's shrimps with his own chopsticks as 'divine punishment for ignoring the almighty Watanuki-sama' and just as he was stuffing it in his mouth, the very corner of Doumeki's lips tugged slightly.

The two of them had become very close indeed.

* * *

I am sorry. This is completely unedited, as is usual, but I started writing it a little before midnight and I must now go to bed because I only have 4.5 hours to sleep before I have to wake up again. Hehe. My life rocks!

Well, it kinda does. Thank you guys for your wonderful reviews!! You make me so happy every time! Of course for SOME reason my review alerts have been coming in weeks LATE, but I check up on fanfiction often enough to get most of them on time. Thank you.

A HUGE thank you to Amy for getting me out of my writer's block with her review. lol. Oh, and the reason you thought Doumeki was more in control in the second half of the last chappie is because that's when I bought my whiteboard and started USING it, so that's when I, in turn, started getting my thinking on track. I'll have it all fixed - plot, grammar and spelling errors - whenever I decide to revise and edit the story. I will do it one day, I just don't know when :) Hehe.

Probably soon though. ...Great, now that I said "soon" I won't be touching it until next year. -always screws up plans-

Talking about screwing - and screwing up plans, of course! - there will be one more chapter after all. Why? Because I promised you guys a REAL lemon and because I don't want that unprotected painful disaster on chapter 9 to be your only sexual memory of this fic- yes, I am a pervert too and I would like to write a real lemon for once, but I'm actually too cowardly to do so...so that's not the real reason.

Am I ranting? Of course I am. I'm tired and sleepy :D yay, but I'm happy I finished this chap. I'm sorry it's not as good as most of you probably expected, but this is all that my muse and I have to offer at the moment. -bows apologetically- If you have any other ideas you'd like to have been used instead, go ahead and mention them in reviews. I might stick em in while editing this, if my muse picks up on it and actually finds a way to fit it in, of course. I can already promise a lot of changes in the first chappies - but that's another story, far in the future.

Thank you all for sticking with this story for all this time, despite my slow updating! I love you all! I hope you had wonderful holidays, and hey...this is my first post in 2007! woot. Ok, I need to go catch some zs now, or suffer tomorrow.

-chuu-

Shinri.Kitou


	14. Epilogue

What do you mean, "about time":D It so totally did not take me 8 months to finish this chapter. Like, totally not. -rolls eyes- I did go on vacation, though, and that takes a month off of that, okay? Look, I thought it would have been a piece of cake to write smut. I mean, smut is smut, right? Wrong. It wasn't easy for me at all ;-; I seem to be horribly self-conscious about these things, I suppose.

Anyways, I DID finish it, which surprises me beyond what all of you can imagine, and I refuse to put off posting it until I revise the darn thing, so here it is. I don't know if I'm going to revise the whole story at one point. I truly don't know. I mean, if I'm going to have to change half the things I think I'm going to have to change in order to be able to read it from beginning to ending without feeling utterly embarrassed at myself, then it's already too much trouble. XD

Just read it, please. You guys waited long enough anyway.

* * *

**Ore No Hitsuzen**

**Final Update**

_Chapter 14 : Epilogue_

A whole month had passed since the evening of Doumeki's confession and still he remained on Watanuki's side. Things hadn't always progressed smoothly, however. Having to attend school and continue to face Himawari-chan every day while keeping his relationship with Doumeki a secret _still_ stressed him out. At first it had felt really awkward to be around Himawari and not try to get close to her - but he had a conscience and morals and even when Doumeki wasn't watching he was determined to remain faithful. Without quite understanding why, he started to force himself to consider the dark-haired girl as an ordinary friend, and soon enough she didn't occupy any of his thoughts anymore. His thoughts were reserved by another face now - Doumeki's, and that didn't really make Watanuki all that happy.

Day by day, Watanuki started noticing changes in his everyday life. Some were drastic whence some were more discreet. The change in the way that Doumeki and Watanuki argued had changed only slightly. Watanuki still fought to be as loud and emotional as humanly possible and Doumeki continued to plug his ears against the pain and to call him a senseless idiot whenever there was a lapse in silence long enough for him to get the message through - but the tone of his voice seemed somewhat softer and once in a while Watanuki would catch a shadow of a smirk playing on his lips, making him feel like he was being _teased_ instead of being _insulted_, which also didn't make him very happy.

The time he spent in Yuuko's house had undergone a _drastic_ change, however. From the very first day that he had walked through the door, fully prepared to scream his head off at her about her stupid "gift" that had gotten him into such a mess, the whole atmosphere in her store had changed. Smirking, teasing, winking, innuendoes, _safe sex talk_ - he never heard the end of it. Not to mention that although he was targeted less and less by spirits the more time he spent around Doumeki, the number of missions that he was sent to partnered with the stoic archer had _doubled_ and he had to endure the very long spiel that Yuuko-san gave Doumeki every time he came to pick the seer up about how he had to make sure to keep Watanuki safe and walk him home properly, and reminders that they had a mission to complete, so they'd have to limit all intimacy to stage B until they were finished. As if immune to Watanuki's almighty glare of fury, Yuuko would always wink at Doumeki and end the lecture with a good-natured "call it your reward".

And Doumeki always took everything calmly as if it wasn't anything new and he wasn't feeling in the least embarrassed.

That also didn't make Watanuki very happy - or any happy at _all_.

Neither did the fact that on those evenings, Doumeki made sure to claim his "reward" as soon as they got to Watanuki's house. Yes… On evenings such as this one.

"D-Doumeki!" Watanuki gasped, just barely managing to slip his feet out of his shoes before the archer's hands were under his shirt. "Will you wait??"

"No," Doumeki replied without any hesitation at all, already trying to tug the shirt over the seer's head.

"B-Bu-But we're _not even in the house ye-_" His protest was interrupted when strong arms were wrapped around his waist and he was effortlessly lifted onto the living room's tatami mats. The arms then returned to his shirt, tugging it off completely.

"Now we are."

With his back still turned to Doumeki, he wasn't as embarrassed or irritated when he blushed. Still, if Doumeki would at least show _some_ restraint just _once_ in a while-

"_Doumeki_!" he gasped once more, his whole face flushing a deep red when he felt one of the archer's hands slithering down the front of his pants.

"Hm?" He could almost _feel_ the smirk on the archer's face as he softly traced his tongue along the shorter boy's neckline. The chills travelling up and down his spine and the warmth that spread through his body at Doumeki's touch got Watanuki lost in a mixed sensation of heat and cold that aroused him despite how he fought not to be affected.

The tongue moved away from his neck to slowly tease his shoulders. A soft gasp escaped Watanuki's lips as he felt teeth slowly biting into his skin. Doumeki's adept hands and the breath in the back of his neck made his knees weak, so he was unable to resist when he was nudged towards the ground. His knees buckled and his palms hit the floor, his mind only half-registering the feeling of his pants being tugged back. It wasn't until he felt Doumeki's hands gently pushing him apart to reveal his tight opening that he snapped back to reality, the blush on his face deepening still.

"Doumeki! W-Will you hold it for a- _Dou-!_" Was that his ton-! …Yep. That was definitely his tongue. He'd done it before, but Watanuki was still just as surprised as he had been the first time. It was so_ embarrassing_- "Doumeki, please-"

Doumeki pulled away, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Watanuki wanted to glare at him, but was too embarrassed to turn around. He clenched his fists tightly in an attempt to control his breathing as he felt Doumeki's fingers where his tongue had been just a moment earlier.

"Doumeki," he gasped, his arms beginning to tremble.

"Hm?" the archer hummed softly, his fingers working in ways that flooded the seer with a feeling he could never get used to, no matter how many times he was subjected to it. It felt as if all of his reasoning was slowly deserting him, which made him feel vulnerable. What scared him the most was that he was beginning to look _forward_ to it.

"Let's at least walk over to the _bed_ that is right next door, maybe fifteen or _twenty_ steps away-"

"Here is fine," the archer stated in his everyday monotone. Watanuki clenched his fists and shut his eyes, trying his best to keep his own voice calm.

"The _couch_ then-"

"I said here is fine."

Right when he had decided to throw away the little control he'd been forcing upon himself and scream some sense into the immature and inconsiderate archer, Doumeki withdrew his fingers. Watanuki gasped, whining softly at the empty feeling that was left behind. His whole body shook in shameful anticipation as he felt Doumeki position himself against him.

"Doumeki-" The uttered name sounded more like a plea than a reprimand, and once more he could almost _feel_ the archer's proud smirk as he pushed forward, burying himself within Watanuki in one sure thrust. Watanuki cried out, like he always did, biting down onto his lower lip as he waited for his body to become accustomed to Doumeki's size. It still hurt, but only in the beginning. Doumeki had been quick to give Watanuki a taste of just how good he could make him feel, thus making it practically impossible for him to reject his advances.

Doumeki slid one hand around Watanuki's chest, seeking out to distract the smaller boy as he began to move. His fingers easily located and claimed the sought-for nipple, almost tickling it as he ran a warm tongue up Watanuki's spine, thrusting forward and earning another gasp from the uncharacteristically submissive seer. Doumeki could tell the pain was gone by the way the smaller boy's shoulders shook as he thrust forward again. The same mouth that had screamed at him all day was now emitting the most arousing of sounds, fueling the fire within Doumeki and making it impossible for him to stop or to even slow down. His hand left the seers chest, sliding down to stroke Watanuki's own length, biting once more onto his shoulder and working his hardest to coax more of those riling gasps and moans from the other boy's lips.

It wasn't long before they moved together, warm bodies lost in a profusion of feeling that the mind could no longer keep up with. Watanuki was half-aware of himself gasping out the archer's name once, twice, three times, his fingers digging into the ground as pleasure built upon pleasure, bringing him to the peak soon, too soon. Suddenly Doumeki's arms were around him, back pressing against chest, and he cried out as he came, what was left of his reasoning spilling out of him and leaving him limp with exhaustion.

He felt himself collapse on the floor as he subconsciously fought to catch his breath, but he knew better than to let himself drift into unconsciousness. The first time was only the warm up. It never ended like that. He knew that well now.

Strong arms carried him off, perhaps seconds, perhaps minutes later, but he didn't open his eyes until he felt the soft mattress underneath his back. His heart had quieted down, but the fever hadn't left yet, mutating everything in his view and transforming it into something the same, yet different. He saw Doumeki, he knew it was Doumeki, but everything had changed. That was what he thought as he outstretched his arms up to his lover, closing them around his neck as he beckoned him into his embrace. Lips met, tongues danced, hands felt and hearts pounded deep in chests that glistened with trembling drops of perspiration. He knew he should be embarrassed to do it that way, his expressions openly revealed to the archer as he made his conquest, but he wasn't. It was probably the passion of the moment. Maybe Doumeki knew that. It didn't matter.

The night seemed to last forever, just like many others had before it. They joined over and over, losing themselves in each other's arms, demanding, giving, taking. It almost felt as if Doumeki would become part of Watanuki and they would never again be able to separate.

When morning came and the sunlight tickled Watanuki's eyes and woke him up, he wondered how he could have thought that. He winced as he pushed himself up and turned to look at Doumeki. The archer was still sleeping, his expression calm, but characteristically blank. He frowned as he watched him, also wondering why he let the archer have his way when he knew just how uncomfortable it would be for him the day after. Restraint was logical, yet he never told Doumeki to stop. He met each and every one of his requests with matching ardor and eagerness. Even watching him as he peacefully slept the morning after gave Watanuki the feeling that perhaps… Perhaps a part of Doumeki had become part of him after all.

He shook his head violently, clearing it of all the left-over mushiness. Boyfriend or not, reward or no reward, complaint or no complaint, Doumeki had _once again_ demanded too much from Watanuki and was thus going to have to pay for it.

By waiting for him for the rest of the day.

Even as he prepared to awaken his slave-for-the-day in the way that he always did, by playing the role of a human alarm clock, he couldn't fight the smile that played on his lips.

After all, as hard as he tried to refuse it, he was-

_-very happy_.

* * *

Those of you that want to throw up, go right ahead. Lmao. Too much mush, but oh well. I kind of enjoyed finishing it. I've started reading actual gay novels now, so I'm getting used to the whole smut thing - even though I don't really know if I want to write another one myself. I skipped around a little with this one, not letting it get too hardcore, so let's just leave it at that.

I hope it wasn't too horrible. Doumeki and Watanuki would be embarrassed, you know!

Once again, I apologize for the lapse of time during which I seemed to have fallen off of the Earth, and thank you to all of you that actually read this through :) instead of deleting the alert with a "damn her, too late" or something along those lines.

Ore No Hitsuzen is finished...and I had one heck of a time writing it. To all of my reviewers, and my closet readers too, thank you VERY much for giving this story a shot.

-NA


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